It Runs In the Family
by Wretched Yuri
Summary: What if Minato was sealed inside of Naruto alongside Kyuubi? What if Naruto was a girl? Life as a Jinchuuriki is hard, but it becomes a rollercoaster with two dads, even without being chased by Akatsuki and learning to defend yourself. Some graphic sexual scenes. Naru/Shika Pairing as well as Mina/Kyuubi pairing.
1. Prologue

** It runs in the family.**

**By**: Wretched Yuri

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in this story are mine!

"Normal talking"

_'Thoughts'_

_-"Minato talking when outside of the seal and when talking to Naruto when Naruto's not in his mindscape"-_

**"Demons and summons talking"**

**'****_Demon and summons thinking'_**

**PART ONE**

**Prologue **

The old man sighed as he looked down at the baby in front of him. The child had been crying before but once the seal had appeared on his belly, the child went silent. A strange yellow glow appeared around the seal suddenly and the old man stepped back, gasping as an ethereal glowing young man appeared next to the child.

"Minato?" The old man gasped. The younger man glanced up at him sadly. "But you're dead!" The young man nodded before scooping the baby up into his arms.

-_"Yes I am dead. Kami-sama believes that I still have a task to perform in this world, so she negotiated with Shinigami-sama that I be sealed into the prison with Kyuubi. I no longer have my physical body, as you are aware, that is dead. I am sealed inside my son, along with the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I will live out his life inside of him. But, I am able to leave the seal unlike Kyuubi. My son will not grow up completely alone."-_ The old man looked at the young man who had replaced him as Hokage with something akin to shock.

-_"How do you intend to protect my son from enemies, both mine and his Sarutobi-sama? I love this village, but not even I am fool enough to think they will think of him as a hero."-_

"Well first off, I am going to give him his mother's last name until he is thirteen. Training him to be able to protect himself will be vital, and when he turns thirteen the truth about everything will be revealed to the village. If you intend to make yourself known to him then I am sure he will know about you and Kyuubi before then." The young man nodded.

_-"I do intend to make myself known to him. Kami-sama and Shinigami-sama have given me a chance to be with my son and I will not waste it. I would appreciate it if you could keep my existence to yourself. However, I would like Kakashi to know, so if you could have him brought here?"-_ The old man nodded and the young man bowed before the strange yellow glow appeared and the man vanished back into the seal. The old man caught the baby boy, who giggled with glee. Going to the door, the old man opened it and sent one of his guards to fetch the young Jounin, wondering how things could get any more confusing. Little did he realise that he was about to be confused for a very long time.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One.**

"Get that demon brat!"

"You can't run forever monster!"

The cries followed the little boy as he ran, desperately trying to avoid capture. He had almost succeeded when the bad luck that befalls all of the people running away in movies, book, comics and life befell him and he tripped over his own feet. He looked up fearfully as a group of grinning people circled him.

"Thought you'd get away didn't you demon?" One man asked, brandishing a knife.

"Please leave me alone! I haven't done anything to you!" The boy cried.

"You've done everything! You took our families you demon!" the man roared, stabbing his knife down. It entered the boy, who looked at the man in shock before there was a 'pop' and in a 'poof' of smoke, the little boy disappeared.

"A clone?" One civilian asked. Cursing, the civilians gave up for the day and went about their business. Sitting atop of Konoha village's Hokage Monument, on top of the Yondaime Hokage's stone head, the same boy cracked an eye open lazily as his clone dispersed and it's memories came to him. Shaking his head at the civilians' foolishness, the boy closed his eye again and returned to his mindscape.

"Neh Otousan why do the villagers keep trying?" He asked the tall man who was practically a carbon copy of the boy, only older and without whisker marks on his cheeks. The older man looked down at his eight year old son.

"Because they're scared Naru-chan." His father responded, pointing to the tall man behind him who lay up high in a tree branch, lazily slumped against the tree, snoring. His red hair spilled down over his shoulders, coming to his waist. His ears were slightly pointed and his finger nails were claws. A sharp canine protruded from below his upper lip, resting on the lower lip and he snarled slightly in his sleep. His skin was a pale cream and he was slim with a cat like grace that made the fact that he was sitting on a branch with his back against the trunk of the tree, snoring look oddly easy. He was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The boy's father had been around from the beginning, and when his son had turned five he had taken him into the boy's mindscape and explained everything about himself, his son, the demon and the village. Much too both inhabitants of the seal's delight, upon seeing his mindscape, the boy had instinctively changed it from a dank bunker like sewer into a comfortable forest scene. There was a log cabin with a fireplace, much like a hunter's cabin that his father could call home and for the Kyuubi there was a cave den in the rock face just behind the cabin. Both of these things were in a medium sized clearing in the woods. There was a stream at the edge of the clearing, and somehow, the boy had created little animals, breezes, sunshine, rain and snow for the two men. At the moment, the Kyuubi was asleep in a tree on the edge of the clearing while father and son sat on logs around a fire-pit in front of the cabin and it was summer in the clearing.

"Well I think their fear is silly."

"Of course it is, but try to imagine what you'd be feeling if you were in their shoes." The boy shrugged.

"Maybe they should try being in mine." He replied, stretching slightly. Sadness crossed the older man's face. He hated that his son had to be the one to bear this burden. But at least Kami-sama and Shinigami-sama had allowed him to be with his son. Even if it was by being in the seal that he himself had created and put on the boy.

"So what are we learning today Otousan?" The eight year old boy asked, his blue eyes sparkling with the hope of learning something new. The man smiled. He loved his son's willingness to learn. Naruto was like a vacuum when it came to learning. He sucked up all of the information one could give him and then asked for more.

"Well you already know how to do the leaf exercise for controlling your chakra, so today we're going to get started on the tree walking exercise."

"What's that?"

"It's where you walk up a tree."

"I can already do that."

"Without using your hands?"

"…."

"Let me explain. You have to focus a certain amount of chakra to your feet and maintain that constant amount of chakra. Not enough chakra and you'll fall. Too much chakra, and again you'll fall. To start off with, take a running start until you get used to it. After that we're going to work on your taijutsu. You have two styles to learn so you have to put in more effort. Add to that that you'll be doing push ups, sit ups, chin ups, running laps and the usual exercises. Oh, I will also be adding more weight on your seals." The boy groaned but other than that didn't complain. He understood why he had to go through this training. His father had enemies. He needed to be able to protect himself as well as possible by the time he was thirteen.

"We're also going to work on your nature affinities." The boy had a primary nature affinity in wind like his father and a second affinity in fire, which wasn't surprising seeing as the Lord of fire was sealed inside his stomach. His son's affinity with the two elements was so strong that the wind protected him naturally without him asking it to, and the boy could create fire simply by clicking his fingers. The fact that he could change the colour of the fire amused all of them. Including Kyuubi, who had yet to mention to the boy that the fire he created was not normal fire, but 'Foxfire' a special fire that other than the boy, only Kyuubi himself possessed. The fox demon didn't think it was time to provide the boy with that knowledge just yet. It might give him a bit of an ego-complex, something Kyuubi hated in a person.

"Also the usual stuff we work on everyday like ninjutsu, genjutsu, medjutsu, fuuinjutsu, nawanuke no jutsu and others." The boy nodded and prepared to leave his mind.

"But we'll do this later, during your training with Sarutobi. You're late for school."

"NANI?!" Naruto shot out of his mind, leaping off of the monument and jumping across the roof tops of the village. Spying an open window in his class room, he jumped through it, landing on some of his classmates.

"NARUTO!" was all that one of those classmates, a pink haired girl named Sakura, yelled, hitting him on the head. He grinned and rolled off of her, the two others sitting beside her and the desks, landing on the floor.

"Baka!" The other girl yelled rubbing her head as her long blonde hair swished over her shoulder.

"Hn. Dobe." Was all that the dark-haired boy sitting between the two girls said, without moving. Someone such as him was far too superior and snobbish to rub where the boy had hit him when he jumped through the window. That would mean showing weakness to someone beneath him.

"Gomen Sakura, Ino, Sasuke-teme." Naruto grinned at them, rubbing his elbow. "The window was the closest entrance."

"Naruto! You're late!" His teacher scolded. Naruto grinned up at the man with the scar across his nose who wore his hair in a high pony tail.

"Gomen Iruka-sensei. I slept in." On the inside, his Chunin instructor was laughing. It never failed to make his day when Naruto was up to mischief, even if it was accidental mischief.

"Yes well, next time could you please use the door?" Naruto shrugged, picking himself up off the floor with a grin before rubbing his elbow again and making his way to the back of the classroom. He dropped into a vacant seat and dropped his chin onto his folded hands, watching Iruka as the man went back to the explanation he'd been giving before Naruto's interruption. In his mindscape, the boy's father was laughing, as was Kyuubi, who'd been thrown from his branch when Naruto leapt through the window.

"NARUTO!" A blackboard eraser hit the back of the boy's head. He sat up blinking as he looked around to find that the teacher and all of his classmates, save a few were looking at him. Those few included the dark haired boy he'd fallen on earlier, who sat, hands in front of his face, staring impassively at the black board, the boy with his brown hair in a high ponytail a few seats to his right, who's head was on his hands as he took a nap and the impassive boy whose face was hidden by his glasses and the high collar on the jacket he wore.

"Wha?" Naruto asked sleepily, making eye contact with Iruka.

"If you slept in WHAT ARE YOU DOING ASLEEP IN MY CLASS?" Iruka yelled at him.

"I wasn't sleeping sensei." The boy lied smoothly.

"Oh and what were you doing?" Iruka asked sweetly, his eye twitching.

"Meditating." The boy responded with a shrug. A vein popped in Iruka's temple before he noticed the other sleeping boy.

"SHIKAMARU!" He yelled, throwing an eraser at that boy. Said boy lifted his head, blinked at the teacher and then went back to sleep. Another boy snickered.

"Kiba!" Iruka turned his attention to that boy who was holding a paper plane above his head ready to throw it at someone, before munching caught his attention.

"CHOUJI HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT IN CLASS?!" The eating boy shrugged before putting another handful of potato chips in his mouth. Iruka's face turned red.

"THAT'S IT! THE FOUR OF YOU ARE STAYING BEHIND AFTER SCHOOL AND DOING DETENTION!" Naruto yawned.

"I have to be at the Hokage's office at 3:30 sensei." He told the man.

"I have to help out at the clinic." The boy Kiba explained, the little white dog sitting on his head barking its agreement.

"Doctor's appointment." The boy Chouji said before putting more chips in his mouth. Another vein popped as Iruka looked up at Shikamaru, waiting for his excuse.

"Troublesome." The boy yawned. "My Otousan's making me take another IQ test." Iruka's face went red again.

"Then how about tomorrow boys? You can do your detention then!" He told them. The four boys all shrugged before going back to doing the things that had gotten them in trouble. Iruka sighed. They were four of his brightest students, but the four of them just didn't care about being in a classroom. Somehow they always managed to get their work down though. While Naruto slept, Minato listened to the lesson that Iruka was giving, storing the information away in his son's mind for him later. He knew it was technically cheating, but Naruto only ever really got time to sleep during class. What with his training and so forth, he was up most of the night every night. Only Shikamaru and Naruto slept of the four boys. Shikamaru was so damn smart it didn't matter if he slept through the lesson or not. Chouji didn't do anything besides constantly eat, or skip class with the other three boys, while Kiba just got bored easily and fidgeted, making paper planes and throwing them around the room, lazing about and refusing to pay attention. As soon as the bell went, the four boys were the first ones out of the room, with Iruka yelling behind them to make sure they did their homework and not be late tomorrow Naruto!

_-"Concentrate son. You can do this. It's just a simple matter of being very concise about how much chakra you use."-_ Naruto was now 13 years old.

The old man's condition about telling everyone the truth when Naruto was 13 had been that Naruto pass the Academy test. The boy had failed the first two times on purpose so that he could be with his peers. The Hokage had informed him that he would tell the village who Naruto was the night of the test, and then introduce him to his peers in the Academy properly the next morning and explain to them something of what had happened. This meant that after 13 years of it being a secret, his peers would find out about Kyuubi. They weren't however, going to find out that his father, the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato, was sealed inside his belly as well. Only three people besides Naruto, his father and Kyuubi knew about it. The Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, Minato's sensei Jiraiya the toad hermit of the Sannin and Minato's former student Hatake Kakashi, the copy-nin of Konoha, or as Naruto thought of Kakashi, the 'weird guy who always brings me baskets of fruit and vegetables'. To pass, Naruto had to do a written test, a taijutsu test and a ninjutsu test. He would pass all of those things, except the ninjutsu test, which was an instant fail. He'd pass it if they were testing him on a different jutsu but they were testing him on his _worst_ jutsu. Because he had his father and Kyuubi's chakra sealed inside of him, not to mention his own large chakra reserves, he couldn't perform low level jutsus which required a very precise amount of chakra. A very _small_ amount, which is where his problem lay. He just had too much chakra. But he _was_ Uzumaki Naruto, whose motto was that he would never give up. This was why he was currently sitting cross-legged on the bank of a small river somewhere just outside of the village walls where no one could disturb him. Sweat was pouring off of him, his eyes were scrunched tightly shut, his jaw clenched and veins in neck showing as he tried in vain to minimise how much chakra he was using to create damn Bunshin clone. It amused him, when he wasn't so annoyed, that he couldn't create a single Bunshin clone, which was a d-rank, basic level jutsu, but he could create _hundreds_ of Kage Bunshin clones, which was an A-rank, Jounin level jutsu.

"Bunshin no jutsu." He whispered. There was a poof of smoke and he opened one eye, only to groan at the sight of the failed Bunshin that was lying on the ground next to him, looking dead.

"Oi Naruto what are you doing?" A voice called out. Naruto looked over his shoulder to find Iruka watching him curiously from a few feet away.

"Oh hi Iruka-sensei, sorry I didn't see you there. I'm trying to get the hang of Bunshin no jutsu so that I can pass the exam." Naruto explained. Iruka glanced at the dead looking Bunshin.

"I don't understand why you'd be having trouble with it. You're good at the leaf control exercise." Iruka queried, dropping down next to the boy. Naruto scratched the back of his head as he thought of how best to explain his problem. He was aware that Iruka knew about Kyuubi, and had always been grateful that the man treated him like a normal person, and didn't hate him. He thought of Iruka as an older brother most of time, and thought that Iruka might see him as a younger brother, as he was always treating him to Ramen and helping him out, just like Naruto thought an older brother _would_ do for his younger sibling.

"I have too much chakra." He admitted at last after thinking about it. "Because of you-know-who, I have _way_ too much chakra. For some reason I have large chakra reserves naturally, possibly to compensate with all of _his_ chakra, but it means I can't do low level jutsus properly no matter how good my chakra control is." Iruka thought about what that implied.

"Can you do something similar to the Bunshin no jutsu?" He asked. Naruto nodded.

"I can do Kage Bunshin no jutsu. It requires more chakra and less control, so it's something I can do easily." Iruka's jaw hit the floor.

"Naruto that's a _forbidden_ jutsu that only Jounin know." Naruto shrugged.

"Jiji-san taught me it." Understanding shone in Iruka's eyes. He was well aware that Naruto was being trained by the Hokage so that the boy could learn to defend himself better.

"Show me it." Naruto stood and formed a hand seal.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu." Twenty Naruto's appeared in front of Iruka, whose eyes bugged out of his head at the number of them. Naruto was _13_ for Kami's sake! Naruto dispersed the clones and sat down again.

"How many?" Iruka squeaked eventually. Naruto glanced at him in confusion.

"Do you mean how many can I make?" Iruka nodded mutely. Naruto shrugged.

"A few. I'm learning Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu from Jiji-san at the moment. But at the moment I could probably make about 600 before I ran out of chakra?" Iruka fainted. When he came to, Naruto was looking sheepish. Realising what Naruto's problem was, Iruka thought quickly.

"Okay Naruto, tell you what. Because of your uh, chakra issue, for the exam I want you to create Kage Bunshin instead of normal Bunshin. Don't go too overboard to show off or anything, we don't want people realising how strong you are just yet. I'll have a word with Hokage-sama and get his agreement on this." Naruto grinned, feeling much better.

"Arigato Iruka-sensei!" He hugged his teacher before dragging him off to the best ramen stand in Konoha, Ichiraku's Ramen Stand.

A week later, Naruto was woken by his alarm clock. He rushed out of bed and into the shower before rushing back to his room and getting dressed. He brushed his teeth and was almost out his front door when two voices inside his head sharply reprimanded him.

_-"Where do you think you're going without eating breakfast?"-_

**"You're not leaving this house without breakfast boy!"** Naruto sighed and made his way back into the kitchen, grumbling about his father and his father's lover. His father frowned.

_-"What was that son?"-_

_Nothing Otousan._ He retorted innocently heading for the fridge. After breakfast he brushed his teeth again, and checking the time, his eyes widened.

"Oh crap I'm going to be late!" He raced from the house and through the streets towards the academy. Moments before the bell went he skidded to a halt in the classroom door. The bell went seconds later. Naruto breathed heavily.

"Just in time Naruto." Iruka said with a smile, Naruto nodded while trying to get his breath back.

"Naruto I wasn't aware you were this unfit." The other teacher, Mizuki commented. Naruto waved a hand.

"I'm not. I just ran from my place to here in two minutes flat." The thirteen year old gasped.

"You're joking?" Mizuki asked flatly. Moments later, a few people appeared in the doorway, yelling at Naruto to watch where he was going and to not run through town so fast the stupid demon brat that he was.

"Gomen!" he told the people. "I didn't want to be late." They kept abusing him, throwing insults about being a demon brat and dying at him until Iruka shut the door in their faces, his KI at an all-time high.

"Alright Naruto, take your seat please." Naruto flashed a grin at his teacher before heading up to his usual spot at the back of the class. From where he was sitting, head slumped on his desk, Shikamaru peeked one eye open at Naruto. Now everyone may have thought that Shikamaru was just some lazy kid who slept all of the time, but he was in fact, a genius, who was an expert at reading people. He had always known that there was something different about Naruto. He'd seen the way people treated him, and he'd known that Naruto's happiness had always been faked. Being the expert at reading body language that he was, Shikamaru was able to tell that although Naruto appeared happy, the insults had hurt the boy. He watched as Naruto's gaze went distant and he looked as if he wasn't even in the room, but somewhere else. Shikamaru's eyes popped open and widened as a real smile flitted across Naruto's face. Shikamaru closed his eyes again, curiosity nibbling at him. He decided right there and then that he was going to work out Naruto's secret. Not to use against him, Shikamaru was far too lazy for that, and besides, more importantly he didn't mind Naruto. He was probably one of the only people that the lazy boy considered a true friend. No he only wanted to know Naruto's secret for the challenge that the puzzle of finding out would be. Like all geniuses, even lazy Shikamaru enjoyed a challenge, opening one eye to peek at Naruto again. A smile tugged his face as his eyes closed again. He got the feeling that working out Naruto's secret would be the biggest challenge he'd ever had to work out.

"Nara Shikamaru." He sighed and slouched down to the front of the class. Naruto grinned and winked at him. A small smile slid across Shikamaru's face before he could stop it.

From inside Naruto's mindscape both his father and Kyuubi were talking in whispers and throwing glances at the lazy friend of Naruto's. Naruto noticed what they were up to but ignored them. He'd ask them what they were talking about later. Right now he wanted to watch the last of his four closest friends pass the test. Akamichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and a shy girl with pale lavender eyes and blue-black hair; Hyuuga Hinata had all passed the test and now it was Shikamaru's turn. When he was passed he cheered with the other two boys as loud as possible. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and mumbled something about 'troublesome' as he returned to his seat. He paused behind Naruto.

"You better pass too Uzumaki. Me and the boys both know you could've passed the last two times and didn't. So if you don't pass this time the three of us are going to make sure you never eat Ramen again." Patting Naruto's shoulder, Shikamaru went back to his seat and sat down. Naruto sat, staring at him, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. His head snapped to Kiba who sat grinning at him and then to Chouji who shrugged with a small, cheeky grin. In his mindscape, both men were speechless. All three of them had a love for Ramen. It was only through Naruto that the two men were able to taste the stuff ever again. They didn't think they could live without it. Neither did Naruto.

He didn't even notice it when the dark-haired boy, Uchiha Sasuke, had his shot.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka called out. Naruto didn't move. Iruka looked up at him to find Naruto staring at nothing with a look of stupefied horror on his face.

"_Uzumaki Naruto."_ Iruka watched with amusement as Naruto ignored him but when three significant coughs came from Naruto's three male friends the boy jumped, looking nervous. Iruka wondered what the three boys could have told him to make him act like that. He rushed down the stairs, tripping over his own feet in his rush to get down. All three boys ducked their heads with amusement at the fact that something as simple as threatening him with never letting him eat Ramen again could have such an effect on him. Iruka was just as amused. Mizuki, thinking that it meant an easy win for him, got himself ready. The written test had already been done and now it was time for the taijutsu and ninjutsu. In his mind, Naruto had two adult men yelling that if he failed they'd make his life a misery. Mizuki was getting ready to attack when Naruto glanced at the three boys and flinched at their grins.

"Start." Iruka said moving back. Mizuki leapt but Naruto was gone. He turned around to find the blonde boy standing with his arms crossed and the most determined look in his eye that anyone had ever seen. He dodged each blow Mizuki tried to land on him.

"Stay still kid! Why are you so determined to pass?" Mizuki growled.

Naruto froze.

"I can't fail."

"Why not?" Naruto ducked and back flipped hitting the wall and then somersaulting over Mizuki.

"Coz if I fail those monsters sitting there grinning will never let me eat Ramen again!" Naruto wailed. Mizuki turned to glance at the class and received three winks and grins from Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba. That was the mistake for Mizuki, because Naruto took advantage of the distraction. The side of his hand slammed into the back of Mizuki's neck. Everyone gasped as the Chunin's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Then they gasped again at the look on Naruto's face. It was cold, precise and determined. Instantly his face softened, taking on the childishness they were all used to. Dropping to his knees he helped Mizuki up. Iruka brought him around and Mizuki started and then glared at Naruto.

"You little demon!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Gomen Mizuki-sensei."

"If we were in private I'd tell you some things that would make you want to die for shame you monster!" Mizuki hissed.

"Old news Mizuki-sensei. I know why I'm a demon brat and a monster." Naruto said with a shrug. Iruka gasped.

"_Naruto!"_ Naruto waved his hand dismissively.

"It's okay Iruka-sensei. They're all going to find out tomorrow anyway. Can we get on to ninjutsu now? I'd really like to keep being able to eat Ramen." Three of the boys in the room started laughing. Iruka chuckled.

"Are you sure you're okay with them all finding out?" He asked Naruto who shrugged.

"Jiji-san said it was time." Naruto cleared his throat slightly before his eyes went cold and distant. "And if they hate me, well it's not like I'm not used to being hated." He explained. Iruka's eyes softened.

"Perform Kage Bunshin no jutsu please."

"Kage? The test is for normal Bunshin, why is he getting an exception?" Sakura demanded. Iruka glanced up at her.

"Because Naruto has a problem with his chakra, a problem you will all find out about tomorrow. Because of the problem, he is unable to do low level jutsus like Bunshin. To compensate for this, he has been taught a higher level jutsu, which is the more advanced form of Bunshin. The Kage Bunshin. Naruto if you will." Naruto formed a seal with his hands in front of the class.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu." He said calmly. Five clones 'poofed' into existence around him. Iruka nodded.

"Well done Naruto. You pass." He smiled as Naruto grinned a foxy grin and the clones dispensed.

"YATTA! I CAN KEEP EATING RAMEN!" The young boy cheered before racing up to his seat, grinning smugly at his three friends.

_-"Congratulations son. You did very well. Nice job with that hit on that Baka too."-_ Naruto smiled at his father's praise.


	3. Chapter 2

****(Wretched Yuri: Once again, just so you know... I do NOT own Naruto or ANY of it's characters!)

**Chapter 2**

The next morning when his class mates all walked through the door it was to find Naruto already there. That was a shock. Naruto was nearly always late or only just on time. He ignored them as he looked out the window. His only sign that he was aware they were there was by his sudden tense body language. The others all whispered to each other, wondering what it was about Naruto that they were going to find out. The door opened and Iruka walked in, followed by the group of Jounin who were obviously their senseis, a group of ANBU and the Hokage. They all went quiet. The Hokage stopped and put his hands behind his back, his pipe in his mouth as he looked at them all.

"Today you are going to be told an S-class secret of this village. What you are going to be told is never to be told to anyone. The punishment for breaking this law is death." The kids all gasped and looked at Naruto. What about him was an S-class secret?

"Naruto-kun if you'd please come down here?" Sarutobi asked. The boy took a deep breath before his face set in an expressionless mask and he slowly made his way down next to the Hokage. When he reached him he turned to face his class and became statue-like.

_-"It's okay son. No matter what I'm here for you."-_ Naruto felt comforted by his father's words, relaxing slightly.

"As you all know, 13 years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked this village and the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, Naruto's father, died saving this village." There were gasps. Naruto was the son of the Yondaime? "What you don't know is that the Kyuubi was _not_ killed. Such a task was impossible. What the Yondaime could and did do, was seal away Kyuubi inside a new-born baby who had just had their umbilical cord cut. The only baby born in this village that night. Whose mother died giving birth to them." Shikamaru saw the connection.

"Naruto." The Hokage nodded.

"That's right. Naruto-kun's birthday is the 10th of October. He was the only baby born that night."

"The Yondaime did that to his own son?" One girl asked in shock.

"How could he have asked another parent to sacrifice their child for such a task and a life, if he, the _leader_ of this village, sworn to protect it in any way he could, could not sacrifice his own child?" Everyone looked at Naruto as he lifted his shirt and channeled his chakra. An intricate seal appeared on his stomach. Red chakra swirled around the seal, taking shape into the grinning face of a fox. Naruto frowned at the chakra and punched his stomach lightly.

"Cut it out Baka fox." He told the seal. The chakra vanished.

"I am what is called a Jinchuuriki." Naruto explained to his peers in a flat voice, looking up at them. "The vessel that contains the prison of a Bijuu, a tailed demon, in this case, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, which is where he will remain until the day I die." More kids gasped as Naruto dropped his shirt.

"That's why you have trouble with low level jutsus'." Shikamaru guessed, comprehension dawning on his face as Naruto nodded.

"The seal is designed so that although Kyuubi cannot use his chakra _I_ can, which deformed my chakra coils at birth as they expanded and shifted to accommodate his chakra. No matter how good my control is, I will never be able to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu."

"What happened to Yondaime then?" Sakura asked.

"He died. Sacrificed his life to Shinigami-sama in exchange for Kyuubi's physical body to be destroyed and his soul sealed inside of me." Naruto explained.

"Is that why the older villagers hate you?" Hinata asked shyly. A bitter smile twisted Naruto's mouth.

"Yes. They all know the truth. Jiji-san made that law when I was born to protect me. Your parents couldn't tell you why they wanted you to hate me, but it is said that a child inherits a lot of their child's ways." He cut himself off and looked aside before continuing. "It's understandable really. Here were these people, full of hurt, pain and agony over losing loved ones, and here was this boy, who had the demon sealed in him that had caused their pain." Eyes widened as Naruto's smile turned savage.

"They couldn't hurt the demon directly, so they figured, hurt the vessel and you hurt the demon. And they were right. Except for the fact that if I die, Kyuubi dies with me, so he heals my wounds rapidly. Here I'll show you." Naruto reached into his Kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai and lifting his arm up slashed down his arm. There were horrified gasps and one Jounin rushed over to the boy in concern, using water to rinse the blood off his arm. Naruto held his arm out so that everyone could see that the gash, through which they could see bone, was already healing, knitting itself back together like it was nothing.

"Boy I think you should see someone about your mental condition. Self-harm is a serious matter." The Jounin who had rushed over said. Naruto smiled.

"My mental health is fine Jounin-san, but Arigato for your concern. I have a check-up with Yamanaka Inoichi once a year to check on my mental state."

"My Otousan?" Ino asked shocked. Naruto nodded and grinned at her.

"I've known him since I was little. He taught me to tie my shoelaces." The boy said with a touch of affection.

"But why didn't someone in the orphanage teach you? I mean with both your parents gone you would have been in the orphanage wouldn't you?" Sakura asked. Naruto shook his head.

"I got kicked out of the orphanage when I was really little. How old was I Jiji-san?" He asked the Hokage.

"About four." His peers gasped. "Then we had you moved into the apartment complex where you live now and I and others raised you. I believe your new sensei, Kakashi still visits you often." He pointed at a silver haired jounin whose face was hidden beneath a mask, with his hitai-ite pulled down over his left eye.

"Yer and he still brings baskets of fruit and vegies. And makes me _eat_ them." Naruto mumbled, wrinkling his nose.

"Fruits and vegies are good for you." The masked jounin chided. "If you ate them more often then you ate Ramen, you wouldn't be so short. Then again, if the shops in this village _let_ you shop we wouldn't have a problem." Naruto grinned at the man.

"Ah but I've come up with a solution for that."

"Oh?"

"I've set up a vegie and fruit garden out on my balcony." The boy explained with a proud grin.

"People have really treated you badly haven't they?" Sakura asked sadly. "And I'm no better. I treat you badly just because Kaasan told me to. I never questioned why, just did as she told me. Gomen Naruto." He smiled.

"Don't worry about it Sakura. I'm not angry about it."

"But why not? More to the point, how come we've never seen you cry or hurt?" Ino asked. Naruto shrugged.

"I don't cry unless it's for something important Ino, that's why. I got over crying a _long_ time ago. My life is the way it is. Instead of crying and pitying myself about the circumstances of my life, I'd rather try and get strong; so that I can protect me and the precious people I've got who've accepted me for me." He explained. "If you guys don't want anything to do with me, I understand real-…" He was cut off by three blurs tackling him. Kiba, Chouji and even the lazy Shikamaru were holding him pinned to the ground.

"Baka!" They told him, lightly punching him. "Why wouldn't we want anything to do with you? You're our friend and co-prankster." The three of them told him with grins. Kiba's dog, Akamaru barked and licked Naruto's face. He laughed and it hit most people then that they'd never heard him laugh like this before.

"I too Naruto-san, wish to continue knowing you." Shino Aburame said quietly. "Like you, I am thought of as different and avoided by people. Although of course not on the same scale as you."

"I know." Naruto told him. "Your family jutsus have saved me a lot of times. Your Otousan saved my life quite a few times when I was a kid."

"Right so everyone is aware that what they know they can never share with anyone?" Sarutobi asked. The kids all nodded. He smiled.

"Excellent, then I'll let Iruka tell you about your teams." The four boys zoned out until their teams were called.

"Team seven under Hatake Kakashi is Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki- gomen, _Namikaze _Uzumaki Naruto."

"Team eight under Yuuhi Kurenai is Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba."

"Team ten under Sarutobi Asuma is Akamichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino." Ino groaned and head-butted the table while Naruto and Kiba both jumped up and down pointing accusing fingers at the Hokage.

"NANI?! You split the four of us up but put those two together?! No fair!" the two boys cried indignantly. The Hokage cleared his throat.

"The teams were put this way for reasons boys." Seeing that the two were still unhappy, he explained further. "Those two were put together, because their fathers, including Ino's father were a reconnaissance team, and as their children have the same jutsus, they're a reconnaissance team also. Kiba, your team is a tracking team. You with Akamaru and your keen nose, Shino with his bugs and Hinata with her eyes. Naruto is with Sakura and Sasuke for various reasons. Kakashi has to be Sasuke's sensei as he is the only one capable of teaching him how to activate and use his Sharingan, and yet he is one of the few people who can teach Naruto the boy's family jutsus, as he was Minato's student and learnt a lot of his senseis ways. Also, team seven is a heavy assault team. With Sasuke's Sharingan, the hope that Sakura will follow in Tsunade the slug princess of the sannin's footsteps and the fact that Naruto can create a _lot_ more Kage Bunshin then he did yesterday, making him practically a one man army, they are best suited put together." Both boys' mouths were making silent 'o's of understanding.

"How many Kage Bunshin can you make?" Sakura asked Naruto. The boy's eyes twinkled cheekily at her.

"A few." He answered vaguely with a grin. She shook her fist at him with a grin.

"And now it's time to turn you over to your senseis. From here on out, you are now official shinobi of Konoha. Do yourselves, us and our village proud." Iruka told them. "Wear your hitai-ite with honour and always remember that you represent our village." He smiled fondly at them all.

"Class is dismissed for the last time. Your new senseis take over from here." Soon after that the Jounin's began calling out to their teams and taking them away. Kakashi wandered over to his team. He held an apple out to Naruto.

"Did you eat breakfast?" He asked the young boy.

"Hai." Naruto answered, taking the apple and munching on it. He smiled at the curious glance from Sakura at his ease and familiarity around Kakashi and Sasuke's jealous glare that Kakashi wasn't giving _him_ the Uchiha, all of his attention.

"I've known Kakai-sensei for a long time. He was my Otousan's student after all. He's sort of been like an uncle to me my whole life." Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair with a grin.

"Right you three meet me on the Hokage Monument, on top of Yondaime's head in five minutes." Kakashi told them before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. As soon as he was gone, Naruto took off at a leisurely jog through town before making his way up on to the rooftops, his teammates following. They arrived on Yondaime's head to see Kakashi waiting for them.

"Okay team, here is where we're going to get to know each other a bit. I want you to tell me your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, that kind of thing. You Pinkie you go first." He said pointing at Sakura who frowned.

"Why don't you go first sensei as an example?"

"Me? Kakashi asked pointing to himself. Sakura nodded. He rubbed his chin.

"Well, my name's Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream… I have very few hobbies." Sakura's jaw fell open while Naruto grinned. His uncle had always been like that.

"All we learnt was his name! And we already knew that!" Sakura hissed to Naruto who was seated on the other side of Sasuke. Naruto nodded his agreement with her.

"Right. You're turn." Kakashi said pointing at Sakura.

"My name's Haruno Sakura I like…" She giggled and looks at Sasuke while blushing. "My dream is…" Another giggle and blush while glancing at Sasuke. "My hobby is…" This time she squealed while blushing and looking at Sasuke. "I dislike Ino-pig and how people including me have treated Naruto." Naruto's eyes widened.

"Arigato Sakura-chan." He told her with a grin. She grinned back at him.

_Great a fan-girl. But she's obviously not a complete waste of time and effort if Naruto's talking to her. He's usually a good judge of character._ Kakashi mused.

"Right. Emo-duck butt you're turn." He said pointing at Sasuke. Sakura squawked in protest at the name Kakashi had called her eternal crush while Naruto snickered.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like very few things and dislike a lot of things. I have no hobbies, and I have an ambition which I have no intention of leaving as just a dream and that is to rebuild my clan and… kill a certain man." Naruto rolled his eyes but made sure Sasuke couldn't see it. Thanks to Kakashi and Sarutobi, he knew all about the Uchiha massacre. Kakashi sighed. _Great, an avenger. And an emo one at that. Just what I need._

"Your turn foxy." He told his nephew. Sakura gasped, thinking it would offend Naruto but relaxed when the boy just gave his uncle a _very_ foxy grin.

"My name is Uzu- wait oops haha that's going to take getting used to. _Namikaze_ Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ramen and training, pulling pranks and spending time with my precious people. I dislike the time it takes for the water to boil when eating cup ramen. I also dislike it when people throw away their education and futures for worthless things. I don't like people who judge others over things they can't control and I dislike it when Kakai-sensei makes me eat cooked vegetables." Kakashi grinned at that. "My hobbies include gardening, eating Ramen, pulling pranks and learning. My dream is to one day become Hokage just like my Otousan and to make him proud of me." _Why is my nephew such an enigma? _ Kakashi thought to himself.

_-"I am already proud of you son. I'm proud of you each and every day."-_ Naruto smiled at his father's words. Noticing the smile and the distant look in Naruto's eyes, Kakashi gathered that his nephew was either talking to his Otousan or Kyuubi. It had been a shock for him the night Naruto had been born and he'd been ushered into a secret room where Minato has appeared beside his baby son and explained to Kakashi that Minato had been put in the seal with Kyuubi for reasons that his sensei hadn't yet known.

"So I have a fan-girl, an emo avenger and an enigma. It could be worse I suppose." Kakashi surmised before he chuckled.

"Sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi grinned.

"Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow morning for your genin test."

"But sensei we've already done the test." Sakura said confused. Kakashi shook his head.

"You did the Academy exam. This is different." Here he chuckled again. "You guys are going to like this. Out of all of the teams made up yesterday out of your class, only three teams will pass this test. The rest will be sent back to the academy."

"NANI!?" Naruto and Sakura yelled together. Sasuke's fists clenched.

"It's true. Anyway, meet me at the training ground at five in the morning." He turned to leave. "Oh and guys?" They looked at him. "Don't eat breakfast. You'll just throw it up later." With an evil chuckle he departed in a swirl of leaves and wind. Naruto shook his head as he stood and stretched.

"Baka Kakai-sensei." His belly growled and he rubbed it. "Hey do you guys wanna grab some lunch? My treat." Sasuke snorted and started walking away. He paused at the staircase and glanced back at his teammates.

"Don't get in my way. If you slow me down I'll kill you." With that he left.

"Man that's guy's a teme." Sakura hit him.

"Gomen Sakura, I don't mean that because I don't like him, I mean that because he's going about getting power the wrong way and for a stupid reason." Naruto explained. Sakura frowned.

"I have to go home for lunch today, but walk me home? I want to know what you mean." Naruto nodded and they started walking together. "I don't understand what you mean. It's not a stupid reason that he wants to kill his Oniisan. Itachi did kill their entire clan." Naruto nodded.

"I figured you'd know about that." Sakura grinned. Her mother was on the council. "Yes Itachi killed their entire clan, but he didn't do it for the reasons that he told Sasuke. I'm not allowed to tell you what those reasons are, not without talking to Jiji-san about it first, but I spent a lot of time in his office so I've been privy to a lot of things that not even the council knows about, something I'd appreciate you not telling your Okaasan. She doesn't like me. Besides, Itachi was one of my watchers assigned to look after me from ANBU when I was a really little kid. He saved my life a lot." Sakura nodded her understanding.

"What did you mean about power?" Naruto thought about it, his hands in his pockets, and his gaze on the sky as he thought.

"Because of who my Otousan is, and because of Kyuubi, I've had enemies since I was born. That's why my last name up until now has been my Okaasan's." He glanced to see if she was following and she nodded for him to continue as they slowly made their way through the busy streets. "Since I was about three, I've been learning to protect myself. I'd start training at four in the morning, learning everything from how to read and write, taijutsu, how to hide, strategy and tactics, everything. I'm a lot smarter than I let people think I am. Letting people think I was a dumb idiot, meant that they'd underestimate me. You following what I'm saying?" She nodded.

"But what does this have to do with power and Sasuke?" She asked curiously.

"Because I know how to protect myself, it now means I can protect those people who are precious to me. I strive for power to protect people and because I like learning. But I'm not afraid to go to someone else and ask them for help. I don't push people down and away from me. Sasuke wants power so he can kill his brother and he doesn't care where he gets it from. But to him, working _with_ other people is a form of weakness." Sakura frowned. It sort of made sense, but she wasn't sure she understood it all.

"I'm not sure I understand." She admitted out loud as they came to a halt out the front of her house.

"Tell you what. Do some training with me in the afternoons and ask some of the older shinobi if they can teach you anything. What Hokage-sama said is right. You have such precise chakra control that you never waste any at all. This makes you like Tsunade-sama of the Sannin. She's actually in the village at the moment which is surprising for her, ask Hokage-sama if he can organise for her to teach you a bit. Ask people for help and train and get better, and then watch how Sasuke tries to do it all on his own without help and see which of you gets stronger quicker and compare your method of training with people's help against his method of pushing people away and then you'll understand okay?" Sakura nodded. Truth was she was very much aware that as a kunoichi all she had was her book smarts. She'd never thought to ask anyone for help before.

"Sure. Will you help me even if we don't pass this test tomorrow?" Naruto nodded.

"Sure thing. Just meet me at training ground 44 every afternoon about 3:00 o'clock." Sakura grinned at him.

"Arigato Naruto-kun." She hugged him and turned to run up the path to her house.

"See you tomorrow Sakura-chan!" He called, waving before heading off through town.

(Author note) Wretched Yuri: So... it's come to my attention that I write long chapters... this was originally about a third of the first chapter. So the story is probably pretty long, and may seem a little boring so far! Just stick with me a little longer! I promise it gets interesting! :3


	4. Chapter 3

(Author's note) Wretched Yuri: Sorry it's been a while since I posted a chapter! I've been busy with work! But here it is! Chapter three! Enjoy!

**Chapter Three.**

Shikamaru and Chouji were seated on a balcony with Ino and their Sensei Asuma, listening only half-heartedly while Ino complained about how sucky her team was, how unfair it was that forehead-girl was on her 'Sasuke-kun's' team and so forth. Both of their attention was caught by the shock of blonde hair that wove through the streets below them.

"Naruto?" Chouji commented, sitting up straight. Shikamaru stood up and leaned over the railing. He was about to call out to Naruto when he froze. Ino rushed to his side while Chouji jumped to his feet. Asuma watched impassively over their shoulders, knowing that this was something his students needed to see. The children had all accepted Naruto, but none of them had really understood what his life had been like. _Except maybe Shikamaru_. Asuma thought, eyeing the way the lazy boy's hands clenched the railing. _The boy may be lazy, but there isn't much that goes on that escapes Shikamaru's notice. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd already had suspicions about Kyuubi._

Down in the street with Naruto, the reason the boy's peers were watching and looking so worried was that a civilian woman, with a meat cleaver in hand, had charged him, swinging wildly. Not even paying attention, Naruto dodged it smoothly purely by instinct. Pulled from his daydream, he glanced around to see the meat cleaver coming his way again. He sighed and dodged it, maneuvering himself so that he was out of everyone's way, so that the woman didn't accidentally hurt anyone.

"You demon! You smear the good name of our Yondaime!" The woman shrieked. She swung wildly, coming dangerously close to hitting a child who was wandering by. Naruto moved with an ease his peers had never seen him use before, moving in the way of the child and taking the blow that probably would've killed the little girl. The woman pulled the meat cleaver free of Naruto's thigh with a savage grin. Naruto scooped the child up and jumped over the crowd, putting the little girl down in the doorway of a shop.

"Go find your Kaasan and keep away from here okay? You could get hurt." He told the girl kindly before jumping back over to where the woman was so she wouldn't go to where the child was. Asuma smiled at that. Ino looked up at her sensei.

"Sensei why doesn't Naruto take that meat cleaver off of her or knock her out or run away or something? He's a shinobi and she's not allowed to do that to him." Asuma thought carefully about his response. Taking his cigarette from his mouth, he breathed out a gentle stream of smoke.

"That would go against Naruto's nature." He told his students as the young boy down below kept dodging any blows meant for him, and blocking or taking the blows that would have hit someone passing by or watching. Asuma's three students glanced up at their sensei before turning their gaze's back down on the scene below just as the woman imbedded the meat cleaver in Naruto's shoulder instead of another person's head, who murmured thank you to Naruto before running off. Blood sprayed from the boy's shoulder as the woman wrenched the meat cleaver out while his three peers flinched.

"What do you mean sensei?" Ino asked quietly. Asuma sighed.

"It's against Naruto's nature to hurt those that are weaker than him, who if he wanted to, he could break in half like a twig. We've been watching over him his whole life and let me tell you kids something. The people of this village have hit him, kicked him, beaten him, drowned him, stabbed him, burnt him, thrown him off rooftops and Naruto has _never_ hurt any of them. He's never even hit someone defending himself. He's spent his whole life learning to protect himself, and when it comes down to stuff like this, he just dodges the blows and takes the blows that will hurt others." They watched as the woman collapsed, exhausted and Naruto just shook his head before turning and continuing on his way. Two ANBU appeared on either side of the woman as soon as Naruto was out of sight. They picked her up by under her arms and vanished with her.

The three children sat there, looking down at where the woman had been, while Asuma watched them quietly. Naruto meanwhile was humming as he made his way into the Hokage's office. The secretary looked up as he entered and gasped. She'd always been nice to Naruto, having seen the way the Hokage doted on him, and the way the boy had always seemed to be actually happy when he was with the old man. She'd been secretary since just before the boy was born and she'd watched him grow up. He'd never been anything but polite to her.

"Naruto what happened to you?" She breathed, coming around her desk and looking him over.

"I'm fine Miya-chan." Naruto shrugged. "A woman was upset about my heritage." Miya gasped again. "Is Jiji-san in?" She nodded and let the boy go inside.

"Enter." Sarutobi said when there was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal Naruto whose shoulder was covered in blood, as was his whole left leg and various other areas of his body, like everywhere. As always the boy ignored whatever was wrong with him with a large grin plastered on his face. Of course, Sarutobi already knew what had happened, the two ANBU had reported to him a few minutes ago. He sighed as he looked sadly at the boy. He really did wish that the village would learn to accept him.

"Ah Naruto-kun how can I help you?" He asked the young boy. Naruto grinned at him.

"Well Jiji-san actually I have a favour to ask." The boy admitted. Sarutobi's eyebrows rose. Kyuubi and Minato had been pestering the boy for weeks to change his clothes, and now that his last pair of wearable clothes was dead he had no choice but to change his clothes.

"Ask away." Sarutobi told him, leaning back in his chair, his pipe in his mouth.

"Ah well, Otousan and Kyuubi have been fed up with these clothes for a while, and honestly so have I. Anyway this was my last wearable shirt and trousers so I was wondering if you could come with me to get new clothes. The store keepers might be nicer to me if you're with me." Sarutobi nodded.

"Of course Naruto-kun. I've just finished off a pile of paperwork, so how about we go now and get you some new clothes before the paperwork piles up again." Sarutobi said with a smile, leading the way out of his office with Naruto following.

"Miya-san I am off to shop for new clothes with Naruto-kun. If anyone asks for me, tell them I am busy and will return in an hour or two." His secretary nodded and smiled at Naruto as he left with Sarutobi. Team ten were still seated on the balcony when Naruto went past them again, this time with the Hokage. Naruto was talking animatedly to the old man, who was laughing.

"They're just like a grandpa and grandson." Ino said with amusement. Asuma chuckled.

"That's because Naruto's practically family. He has tea with us a few nights a week. Otousan tried to adopt him a few years ago and make him legally a Sarutobi, but the council wouldn't let him even though he's the Hokage." Sarutobi glanced up at them as the two went passed and waved before grabbing Naruto and pointing up at the others. Naruto grinned up at them. The three young ones with their sensei jumped down to join them.

"Hey guys, how long have you been there?" Asked Naruto with a grin.

"Long enough to see what happened on your way to the Hokage tower earlier." Chouji informed him. The smiled slipped slightly.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that." He told them. Asuma ruffled his hair, causing the smile to come back.

"Where are you off to with my Otousan huh Gaki?" Asuma asked with a wry grin. Naruto shrugged.

"Well this was my last pair of wearable clothing and now it's sort of not wearable." He said pushing his hand through a rip in his shirt. "Jiji-san's going to go shopping with me so that I don't get ripped off by shop keepers again."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked curiously. Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"You think I wear this by choice?" The boy asked wryly waving his hand vaguely at his orange and blue clothing that was now soaked with blood. "I love orange, but not even I love it this much. I wear this because it's the only thing shop keepers will let me buy, and they charge me more for this then they do for the best quality items in their stores."

"Why don't you use a henge?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto shrugged.

"It seems dishonest." He admitted while his peers shook their heads at Naruto's curst honesty.

"May we join you?" Ino asked grinning. She loved shopping. Sarutobi, noticing the tell-tale gleam in her eyes laughed.

"Of course you can come along." In the shops, Ino fussed over what Naruto should wear while the other men bullied the store keeper into letting Naruto get whatever he wanted for a discount. In most cases all they had to do to get a discount was for Sandaime to glare unflinchingly at the store keeper until he did what they wanted. By the time Ino was done with the boy, he was almost unrecognisable. She had him dressed in loose black pants with mesh leggings underneath along with black shinobi sandals like the Chunin. He had a thin single on and wore a dark mesh top with an unbuttoned thin jacket thrown on over the top. He wore gloves with the ANBU plates on them just like Kakashi. He now had two kunai pouches and a small belt to hang scrolls off of. His right arm was covered in bandages from hand to shoulder. With his hitai-ite around his forehead and his hair still messy, Ino proclaimed quite loudly that he was gorgeous, causing the blonde's eyes to widen and him to edge away from her slightly in case she got any fan-girl tendencies. She had been surprised to find while making him try clothes on, that for a 13 year old, Naruto had very well-toned musculature. It was almost as surprising as when she'd found out that _Shikamaru_ was one of the most muscled and toned boys in their class. After paying for his new clothes, of which Ino made him buy several pairs of, they dragged the boy into a weapons store and while Sarutobi bullied that shop keeper into letting the boy buy with a discount, the others were gleefully stocking up Naruto's kunai. Shuriken and explosion seal collections. They also bought him smoke bombs and other equipment. The last place that they dragged him was a grocery store where they stocked up on foodstuffs for him. Afterwards, team ten and their sensei went on their way and Naruto and Sarutobi went along to Naruto's apartment where Sarutobi helped Naruto put his stuff away and then went back to his office. Naruto, sitting cross legged on his bed, meditated, letting himself drift into his mindscape. He hadn't heard much from his Otousan or Kyuubi for a while and he was beginning to get worried. When he arrived in their clearing, it was to find the door to his father's cabin shut, which was not something he'd seen his father do before. He knocked on the door. There was muffled voices from inside and minutes later, his father, with his blonde hair mussed in very peculiar ways, opened the door and leant on it, stopping Naruto from being able to see inside.

"Yes musuko?" he asked his son. Naruto grinned impishly up at him. Thanks to having Kyuubi in his mind, a perverted uncle and a _super_ perverted godfather, Naruto was _very_ well educated. The fact that his father and Kyuubi were getting it on, didn't bother him in the least. It wasn't like they could really get their release from anywhere else. There were no women in Naruto's seal as far as the boy knew, and after thirteen years with no one besides each other and the boy they both thought of as a son, well it sort of made sense.

"I was just wondering why you and Kyuubi were so quiet. Usually when a villager attacks me you two are yelling death threats at them. But today, there was nothing." Naruto's eyes twinkled with humour.

"Yes well um, wait you were attacked?" Minato asked, standing up right. Naruto nodded.

"Yer but I'm fine so don't you start worrying about it. And you know there's no point hiding what's going on in this cabin. This is _my_ mind. And it doesn't bother me that you're having a relationship with a man who's a fox. It's not like your being disloyal to Kaasan. She _is_ dead. You're not going to see her for the next eighty years and Kyuubi is the only other person in this seal. You're allowed to have a life too Otousan, even if it's not a proper life coz you can't leave this seal for long. But in here, you can have a life with Kyuubi and you don't need to feel guilty if something happens to me while you're with Kyuubi. I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. It's not fair on you to be always revolving everything around me. Have some fun Otousan. I'll see you later. I've got some training to do." He hugged his father and peeked around him to see Kyuubi sprawled out in his father's bed, grinning at the bombshell the 13 year old had just dropped on his frozen father. Naruto winked at Kyuubi who winked slyly back. Minato however was shocked. _Naruto knows. Naruto KNOWS. And it doesn't bother him._ Naruto grinned up at his father.

"Like my new outfit Otousan?" He asked, turning around slowly in a circle to show his father. Minato came out of his stupor and grinned.

"I love it. No more horrid orange. Who helped?"

"Jiji-san, Asuma Oji-kun, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino." His son told him with a broad grin. Kyuubi appeared behind Minato and leaned his head over the other man's shoulder to look at Naruto's clothes.

**"It suits you Kit."** Naruto grinned.

"Arigato _Kaasan."_ The boy grinned impishly before fading from his mind before Kyuubi could hurt him. Minato laughed at the expression on the man's face.

"Well it's only fitting that you're the Kaasan in this family. I am after all the Otousan here." Minato told him with a savage grin before pushing the other man back into the cabin, shutting the door as he followed him in. The minute Naruto left his mindscape he was rolling on the floor laughing about the look on Kyuubi's face about being called Kaasan and the look on his Otousan's when Naruto told him he knew he was gay. It took Naruto a full five minutes to stop laughing and he was still chortling as he made his way to training ground 44 where for the next several hours he trained. While still chuckling.

(Author's note) Wretched Yuri: There all done! Until the next chapter that is :3 See? It's slowly getting interesting. The even MORE interesting stuff comes later, I promise :D


	5. Chapter 4

(Author's Note) Wretched Yuri: Sorry once again, I always get side-tracked with work, and last week I was at my partner's, and I've been busy with other ideas! Please forgive me! Enjoy this chapter. :3

**Chapter 4**

He woke up early the next morning, his mind buzzing with thoughts. Now he was no genius like Shikamaru with an IQ of over 200, but Naruto was no dummy. He knew that there was something about the test this morning that Kakashi hadn't told them, some kind of twist they had to work out. When both of the men in his head yelled at him to eat breakfast he did so, grumbling that he'd only been doing what Kakashi told him to do.

_-"I don't care what Kakashi said. No musuko of mine is going to skip the most important meal of the day."-_ Naruto rolled his eyes as he left his apartment, muttering under his breath. He arrived at training ground seven to find Sakura and Sasuke already there.

"Ohayo." Sakura yawned. Naruto grinned.

"Ohayo Sakura. Sasuke." He dropped down next to Sakura and yawned slightly. Sakura glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She'd gone to see the Hokage last night asking about Tsunade, who was going to start teaching her from 12:30 after their missions were done for the day until 2:30. Sakura's training with Naruto was going to be from 3:00 until 5:00. Then she went home for tea and then out to do more training with some other people who had agreed to help her. She remembered what one of those teachers' had told her the night before and frowned. She still didn't understand what that teacher had meant. She glanced at Naruto again. Maybe he knew? No she couldn't ask him. Then again he had said that there was nothing wrong with asking people for help.

"Neh, Naruto?" She asked shyly.

"Hmmm?" He asked sleepily, yawning.

"I took your advice and got some lessons with Tsunade and some other teachers." She told him. He grinned at her.

"That's great Sakura." She blushed slightly.

"Uh well, ano, um, well I had my first lesson with a man called Ebisu last night who's teaching me chakra control methods, and he explained a theory, but it didn't make sense to me and I wasn't able to do the exercise he wanted. I was wondering if you could help me with it." He looked at her for a minute before grinning broadly.

"Sure Sakura, of course I'll help. What's the method and what exercise does he want you to do?"

"Uh something about the maintaining a varied amount of chakra and water walking." She admitted. Naruto's eyebrows rose and his eyes widened.

"I know you have superb control but I thought he would have started you off with something like tree climbing."

"Tree climbing? I can already climb trees." Sakura said confused. Naruto grinned, remembering how similar her words were to the words he'd told his father a few years ago.

"But can you do it with no hands?" he asked her slyly. She blinked at him, not understanding. Naruto sighed.

"Tree climbing without your hands is simply the process of sending a precise amount of chakra to your feet and maintaining that amount while walking up the tree. It's better to start it off at a run until you get the hang of it. Tell Ebisu that you need to work on tree climbing before you attempt water walking." He explained. Sakura nodded and thanked him before trying his theory. Even with her superb chakra control she fell. Sitting up with tears in her eyes she sighed. Naruto crouched down next to her.

"Hey don't worry about it. It took me a week to get the hang of it. My problem was too much chakra. Remember I said to run at the tree the first few times until you get the hang of it. Use your kunai to mark your spot when you feel your about to fall and use that as the benchmark to beat. It helps if you centre yourself first and relax. Focus on what you're doing." There was a loud 'thunk' and they both turned to find Sasuke lying on the ground below a tree, holding the back of his head. Naruto patted Sakura's shoulder as she got back to work as he went over to Sasuke.

"Want a hand?" He asked. The other boy sneered.

"I don't need your help dobe. I'll have this down by the end of the day." Naruto shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He told the other boy. "Don't say I didn't ask." He went to his own tree and with his hands in his pockets walked up it and sat at the top. From where he sat watching on the other side of the clearing, Kakashi sighed. He was pleased that already Sakura showed signs of improvement, but Sasuke was going to be a problem. He let them go at it until Sasuke was lying under his tree with very little chakra and Sakura was taking a break and talking to Naruto.

"Naruto when did you learn this?" She asked him.

"Do you remember when we were eight, that day I was late so jumped through the window, and later I ended up getting detention along with Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I learnt it that night from Jiji-san." He explained with a grin.

"Can you do that walking on water thing?" He nodded. She frowned slightly. Naruto sighed.

"You've got to understand Sakura, that with my uh, chakra issue." He began, pointing at his belly and getting a wry smile from the girl, "I had to learn chakra control at a young age or I'd never be able to learn it." Kakashi chose that moment to join them.

"Yo." Sakura jumped to her feet, pointing at him accusingly.

"YOU'RE LATE!" She yelled. He shook his head.

"I've been here for over two hours watching you guys train. I'm glad your letting Naruto help you. He has a lot he could teach you. He's been taught by all of the Jounin at one time or another. He's a jack of all trades when it comes to learning." Naruto grinned at him. Kakashi rested his hand on the top of a large alarm clock. He held up two bells as Sasuke, who was feeling much better, joined them.

"The purpose of this test is simple. Whoever can get these two bells from me before lunchtime gets to eat and passes." He explained.

"But sensei there are only two bells." Sakura pointed out. Kakashi nodded.

"The person who doesn't get a bell gets tied to one of those posts and not only misses out on lunch but fails and gets sent back to the academy." At that, Sakura and Sasuke's stomachs growled. Kakashi noticed with amusement that Naruto's stomach didn't growl at all. In fact the young boy was frowning.

"Are you ready? Okay START!" Kakashi called, starting the timer. The three vanished. _Good they've made themselves hidden. That's a valuable shinobi ski-… What the hell?_ He turned, looking around as he thought and then stopped to find Naruto looking at him with eyes narrowed and his face scrunched up in thought, one hand on his cheek while his fingers tapped thoughtfully. His other hand was one knee as he sat cross legged on top of one of the posts, leaning forward over his own body.

"Naruto you're supposed to hide." Kakashi told him.

"I know that. But something about this isn't right." The boy told him. Kakashi smiled. He should've known Naruto would work it out. The boy sat there thinking.

_Why would this test be done like this? Genin are always in groups of three. It's always been done like that to improve relationships between Konoha shinobi because we're a village that values teamwork._ Naruto's eyes widened.

_The aim of this test is to see how well we've understood the lessons the academy taught us. In other words, how well we work together. By pitting us against each other it tests our ability to put others before ourselves._

_-"Well done son. I'm not sure anyone's ever worked out Kakashi's test this quickly before."-_ Minato was proud of his son. Not only had Naruto worked out the meaning of the test, but he'd done it at the beginning of the test. Naruto grinned at Kakashi and vanished.

_Damn I think he's got it._ Kakashi swore and vanished as well, intending to go get the others before Naruto could get to them. Naruto, from where he sat, hidden in the trees decided to let Kakashi beat the other two, and then once that had been done, approach them and explain to them what he thought the meaning of the test was. He was fairly certain that Sakura would agree to work together with him, but he had serious doubts about Sasuke. Meanwhile Sasuke was now buried up to his neck, glaring up at Kakashi.

"Shinobi tactic 1: Taijutsu. Hand to hand combat. Shinobi tactic 2: Ninjutsu. The use of chakra and hand seals to create an attack, which usually centres around one of the elements." Kakashi crouched down in front of Sasuke. "Your taijutsu and ninjutsu are good for a genin, very good, but Sasuke if you were to fight Naruto you'd lose. Do you want to know why?" The boy sneered. "Because Naruto doesn't go into a fight thinking of himself as superior." Sasuke's sneer never left his face. Kakashi sighed and stood before vanishing.

"AAAHHHHH!" Sakura's scream pierced the air.

"Oops that might have been a bit much." Kakashi admitted as the girl fainted.

"Shinobi Tactic 3: Genjutsu. The act of creating an illusion around your opponent." He turned and left intent on finding his last student. As soon as he was gone, Naruto dropped down next to Sakura and brought her around. She sat up and looked around.

"Sasuke?" She asked worriedly. Naruto grinned.

"That was a genjutsu Sakura." The boy told her. She blanched.

"Neh Sakura, I think I know what the meaning of this test is." Naruto told her. She waited patiently, trying to get her breathing under control.

"Explain." She demanded once she'd succeeded. Naruto proceeded to tell her and then outline the idea he'd come up with for getting the bells. She grinned once he was done. They left to find Sasuke. They both snorted when they saw him. He glared at them, trying to appear superior and cold while stuck in the ground up to his neck.

"Get me out of here dobe and then get out of my way." Sasuke hissed at Naruto. The blonde boy crouched down and flicked Sasuke's forehead.

"Listen up teme. I'm not letting you out of there until you listen to what I have to say, and then I might depending on what you say." Sasuke glared at Naruto but said nothing. Once Naruto was done explaining, Sasuke sneered.

"Me? Work with you? You're out of your mind dobe. I don't work with anyone who can't give me something." Sasuke snarled. "Now let me out." Naruto sighed and shrugged standing up.

"That wasn't part of the deal. Get yourself out Sasuke." With that Naruto turned and walked away, Sakura following him after a few moments of looking longingly at Sasuke. Kakashi from where he sat watching the exchange shook his head. He should've known that Sasuke would refuse. Still, he wondered as he left the Uchiha to get himself out of the ground, what the plan the other two were going to use was. He soon found out. Dodging Naruto's blows frantically as the boy moved between two taijutsu styles with ease, blending them and making Kakashi's life misery, while Sakura kept snatching for the bells the moment that Kakashi was distracted by Naruto. Kakashi hadn't realised how advanced Naruto's taijutsu was.

"Katon: Fireball no jutsu! A voice rang out. Naruto glanced to see a huge fireball coming their way. Cursing he pushed Kakashi aside out of harm's way and snatched up Sakura, throwing her away. The fire hit him and the wind snatched it, spinning it around in the air surrounding Naruto before shrinking as the air compressed it and snuffed it out like a match. Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"Naruto!" Sakura called to him. He turned and caught the bell she threw to him as she waved the other triumphantly. Kakashi's mouth fell open. Naruto sighed and tossed the bell to Sasuke.

"Naruto what are you doing that for?!" Sakura demanded. Right then she was _very _annoyed at Sasuke. She knew that if it wasn't for Naruto, she'd probably be burnt to a crisp right now.

"We work well together Sakura-chan. But if this teme doesn't pass neither do we. I'm not getting sent back to the academy just because this Baka doesn't care about teamwork or the fact that he could have seriously hurt someone just then." Sasuke shrugged with a sneer.

"You were in the way. And besides I think you're going back to the academy anyway." Naruto shook his head.

"No I'm not. Am I Kakai-sensei?" Kakashi shook his head.

"No you're not. As far as I'm concerned, you and Sakura both passed ages ago and you're right, the two of you work well together." The two grinned at each other before Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "The only reason _you're_ passing is because Naruto gave you that bell." He told the Uchiha who glared at Naruto. Kakashi rolled his eyes and vowed to do something about the Uchiha's attitude very soon.

"But Naruto, you don't have a bell and it's lunchtime so you know what that means…" Kakashi grinned at his student who just shrugged.

"I get tied to the post with no lunch. That's okay sensei. I had breakfast."

"But Kakai-sensei told us not to have breakfast!" Sakura gasped. Naruto shrugged.

"A shinobi lives a life of risk. He may never know when his next meal is, so he should never skip a meal. Also, shinobi tend to get weaker quicker if they haven't eaten recently. Besides, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Naruto told the girl with a grin. He was soon tied to the post while the others ate.

"Neh Naruto is that rope too tight?" Sakura asked.

"Huh? Oh no it's fine." The boy told her with a smile.

"If you really wanted to, would you be able to get out of that?" He grinned at her by way of answer. Kakashi smiled and settled down to thinking.

"Okay so here is where we start hashing out your training schedules. Sakura you mentioned something about having asked people for training to Naruto this morning?" Sakura nodded. "Who have you got training you?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Naruto, Tsunade-sama, Ebisu-san, some weird chic named Anko and Shizune-sama." Sakura listed, ticking the names off on her fingers. Kakashi nodded.

"Naruto who's teaching you at the moment?"

"Asuma's helping with me with my wind affinity. Jiji-san's still teaching me, Jiraiya's supposed to arrive and start teaching me some stuff soon and Kyuubi." Sakura gasped.

"You're learning from Kyuubi?" Naruto nodded.

"I have too. As his Jinchuuriki, I have a lot of his chakra mixing in with my own which means that some stuff that you can do, I have to learn the demon version of to be able to do." The boy explained.

"Like what?" Sakura asked curiously. Naruto thought for a moment pursuing his lips.

"Well, you know how Sasuke has to use a jutsu to make his fire and his fire is red?" Sakura nodded and Naruto clicked his fingers. A blue and purple flame appeared on his finger-tip, dancing. "I can't use Katon jutsus at all. They backfire on me. This is demon fire, to be precise, Foxfire, and being Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki I can control it without any problem. Kyuubi and I are the only ones who can use this fire. The Uchiha Sharingan has a similar fire, but there are slight differences between their fire and foxfire." Naruto explained and the dancing flame on his finger vanished. Sasuke's gaze was becoming nastier and nastier.

"Sasuke are you being trained by anyone?" Kakashi asked, noting the boy's ugly glare at Naruto. Sasuke shook his head.

"Alright well we'll have to change that. Sakura, that's a good group of teachers you have there. I'm not going to add anymore to your time except myself." Sakura nodded and beamed at her sensei. "Naruto, if you'd like to join Maito Gai and his team for their early morning practice, he thinks he may have a taijutsu style that will go well with the two you already have." Naruto grinned. "You'll also be learning your family jutsus from me, and I assume Jiraiya. He taught your Otousan so he'd know a lot of his jutsus." Naruto nodded.

_-"I love how Kakashi has to say that to cover up the fact that you're actually learning those things from your Otousan."-_ Minato chuckled. Naruto smiled.

"Sasuke, first of all we have to get your Sharingan activated and then I will train you in that. Maito Gai might also have a taijutsu style suited to you that he may be willing to teach you. I'll find you some other teachers as well."

**"Oi Kit. About this kid's Sharingan. Bring him in here to meet me. That'll activate his Sharingan for sure."**

"Ah Kakai-sensei?" Naruto queried. Kakashi turned to Naruto.

"About Sasuke's Sharingan. If it's okay with you, Jiji-san and Inoichi, then Kyuubi says to let Sasuke meet him and that'll do the trick of activating his Sharingan."

**"Bring all of your friends in to meet me if you can manage it."**

_-"Excuse me what about me?"-_

**"You can hide in your cabin. Unless you want them all knowing that you're around?"**

_-"No I don't want them knowing I'm around."- _

"Naruto!" He came back to the world of living to find Sakura shaking him.

"Gomen was talking to Kyuubi. Actually, he says if it's okay, he'd like to meet all of my peers."

"Why does Kyuubi want to meet us? Does he want to eat us or something?" Sakura asked fearfully. Naruto sighed.

"He won't eat you Sakura. The reason he attacked Konoha was because a Konoha shinobi killed his mate and kits. He followed the nin's scent here to Konoha and was going to ask for the murderer to be turned over so that Kyuubi could avenge his family when he met another Konoha shinobi, this one thought long dead, who, using a jutsu, took control of Kyuubi, who had arrogantly thought that the jutsu wouldn't work on him. However it did and by the time Kyuubi had broken the jutsu he was being sealed into me and it was too late to change what he'd done." Naruto explained. Sakura stared at him.

"Really?" She asked. Naruto nodded. Kakashi thought about it.

"We'll go see the Hokage now. I have to go see him anyway." The three students nodded and followed their sensei to the Hokage's office.

"Ah Kakashi, your late to report in. I take it they passed?" Sarutobi asked. He was surrounded by the other Jounin. Only teams eight and ten were there, along with Gai's team.

"Hai Hokage-sama they passed. Hokage-sama, uh…" Kakashi paused and stopped to think about he was going to say. "We think we have a way to activate Sasuke's Sharingan." Kakashi told Sarutobi.

"How?" Asuma questioned.

"Well we're going to need Inoichi." Kakashi said.

"Inoichi? What for?" Sarutobi frowned, wondering what Kakashi was getting at.

"Kyuubi said if Sasuke was to meet him his Sharingan would activate Jiji-san." Naruto spoke up. Everyone froze. "But Kyuubi would also like to meet everyone else in this room." The boy added.

"But what about…?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto shrugged.

"We've got something worked out." Sarutobi nodded.

"Is it okay if I accompany you all as well?"

"Of course Jiji-san. Will Inoichi be able to get everyone into my mindscape?" The boy asked curiously.

"With you acting as the anchor point I will be." Inoichi spoke up from behind him.

"How did you get here so quick?" Sarutobi asked. "I haven't even sent for you yet." Inoichi pointed to Ino as an answer, indicating that the two had a mental connection.

"Right will everyone please sit around Naruto in a circle with him in the centre. Now this is going to need a physical connection, so place your hand on him somewhere." They all settled down and Inoichi, who was also in the circle, put a hand on Naruto as everyone else did.

_-"I'm not entirely confident about this."- _Minato grumbled.

_Me either._ Naruto admitted.

Inoichi activated the jutsu and everyone felt their minds slowly trickling over to Naruto's body. Nothing happened until Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed, taking a deep breath. He plummeted through his mind, dropping like a stone in water. The others fell with him. Suddenly they landed. Standing up and looking around, they found themselves on the edge of a large forest. Right in front of them was a large gate.

"This is Naruto's mind?" Ino asked surprised.

"Yes it is. I have only one thing to say. If you see a sign or a seal telling you not to enter a section of my mind, don't try and force your way in. It will be very unpleasant for you. Besides, you're here to see Kyuubi, not rummage through my head." The blonde boy told them as he stood up and walked through the gate. They all followed him silently, looking around the forest in awe. Animals peeked out from behind trees at them as they followed a long winding path. They could hear the breeze in the trees, birds calling and the sound a bubbling stream. Foxes appeared on the path, surrounding Naruto, their tails wagging while they grinned at the mortals. Soon enough they entered a medium sized clearing. A log cabin sat at the edge of the clearing, with a fire pit and log benches out the front. There was a trickling stream and at the back of the clearing, against the rock face was a large cave. Engraved in the rock above the cave entrance, and in the wood on the cabin door, was the kanji for 'seal'. Naruto stopped and let the others wander around. They walked up to the cabin and tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge. The adults who had been there before sat at the fire pit and waited.

**"Which one is the Sharingan brat?"** A deep reverberating voice roared from within the cave. Most of them started to shake. Sasuke, faking a bravery he didn't feel, walked up to the entrance of the cave.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke." He said. There was a roar and a shape appeared in the cave. Sasuke stumbled back a few steps and fell flat on his bum. The shape came into view and towering over Sasuke was a 40 foot red fox with nine swishing tails.

**"I hate Uchiha's. Pathetic waste of air the lot of them."** The huge beast roared. Sasuke shook. Kyuubi looked down on him and grinned viciously. **"You want to activate your Sharingan boy? Well allow me to HELP!" **Kyuubi roared, snapping his jaws at Sasuke who shrieked and ran away. Kyuubi lunged after him. Sasuke ended up against a tree, his eyes flashing from black to red. He hit level two instantly, skipping the first level, as Kyuubi got closer and closer, sinking lower to the ground as he did so. He started moving backwards unwillingly as Naruto, holding onto one of his tails, dragged him back to his cave.

"Play nice Kyuubi." The blonde boy told the demon. Back at the entrance of the cave, Kyuubi looked at the boy and sighed.

**"Oh very well. I'll stop. I just wanted to scare him a little."** The huge fox vanished, to be replaced by a tall thin, red haired man. The man grinned savagely at them all before making his way with a loping fox like grace over to them. He bowed low before them.

**"Hello little mortals. I am Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of the foxes and fire."** Kyuubi dropped down onto the log beside Sarutobi. The others just stared at him. Naruto rolled his eyes, and in a move that caused his friends mouths to fall upon, draped himself over Kyuubi's back.

"**Get off me brat. I have a reputation to maintain here. How am I supposed to scare them if you make me look like some cuddly fox?"** Naruto grinned.

"You're not supposed to be scaring them Kyuubi. You wanted to meet them, now be nice."

**"Or what?"**

"I won't eat Ramen for a month." The demon lord went pale.

**"Alright I'll be nice!"** Naruto grinned again.

**"Neh brat don't you think it's time you told everyone the truth?"** Naruto looked at Kyuubi in shock.

"Kyuubi?!" The red haired man shrugged.

**"I know it's a secret that only we know. Your Otousan did it for a reason. He didn't want ****_anyone_**** to know until you were old enough to protect yourself. You can protect yourself now Naruto. It's time to tell them."** Naruto sighed and paced. _–"It's time."-_ Minato whispered directly to Naruto's ear alone. Naruto turned to the others who were all sitting at the fire place watching him.

"I have a secret. A secret that not even you know Jiji-san." With that Naruto held his hands up into a familiar seal and said one word. "Kai." There was a poof smoke and standing before them all was, a _girl_.

"Hey where'd Naruto go?" Sakura asked jumping to her feet and spinning around. They all circled the girl, demanding to know where Naruto went. She said nothing, her head hanging low so that her hair hid her face. The adults there all sat with their mouths open. Shikamaru glanced between the adults and the girl and Kyuubi before realisation dawned and he pushed past the others roughly, coming to a halt in front of the girl. His gaze took in her clothes; the same clothes Ino had got her to buy the day before, the impossibly light blonde hair that reached midway down her back, while the spiky top layers were short and stuck up everywhere. Gently, Shikamaru rested a finger under the girl's chin and forced her head up. Her face was shapely with soft full lips, a sweet up-tipped button nose, high cheekbones and three whisker marks on each cheek. Beneath her hitai-ite he could just make out pale blonde eyebrows. His gaze was met by glowing cerulean blue eyes, large and cat like and framed by thick long lashes. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and she smiled slightly in response.

"Naruto." He said quietly and the smile spread across her face angelically in a sweet and very _girly_ way.

"Shikamaru." Everyone's jaws dropped at the sweet, lilting, husky tones, in a voice that was deep for a female.

"Is Naruto your name or is it your boy henge name?" Shikamaru teased lightly. Her smile became a grin as one small slim hand reached up and gripped his hand where it still rested beneath her chin.

"Naruto is a unisex name." She responded cheekily. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he let his hand fall.

"I knew you had a secret." He said with a grin. Humour and mischief slid through her blue eyes.

"I've got _lots_ of secrets." Shikamaru grinned at the chance to continue solving the puzzle that was Naruto. She raised an eyebrow at his grin before her eyes snapped upwards to her hitai-ite and she let go of his hand to untie it.

"Kami I hated wearing this on my forehead. It felt so weird. But what guy wears it around his neck?" She winked at Hinata as she re-tied her hitai-ite around her neck, shaking her blonde hair out of the way. Ino held it up for her. "Arigato Ino." She told her with a smile when she was done.

**"Kit I believe it is time for you all to leave." **Kyuubi said gently, his affection for the girl clearly audible.

"Sure thing Kaasan." Kyuubi glared at her.

"Uh Naruto I think you might be gender confused. Kyuubi's male." Sasuke told her. She laughed at that.

"You thought I was male for 13 years! Maybe Kyuubi's got a secret too." The girl said slyly. They all ogled at Kyuubi who snarled.

**"I am most definitely ****_male_****. The Kaasan thing is merely a private joke between me and my kit."** Kyuubi hugged the girl around the shoulders. She went to henge and Kyuubi grabbed her hands holding them down. Her eyes widened and she had to take deep breaths.

"Kyuubi. I don't think I'm ready for anyone other than the people here, and oh oops I'm going to have to explain to Iruka-sensei; to know. They already hate me Kyuubi! Can you imagine what it will be like if they know I'm a girl! They'll, they'll, and they'll-…"

**"NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO HURT YOU IN THAT WAY AS LONG AS I EXIST."** Kyuubi rumbled, growling deep at the back of his throat. **"They won't hate you Kit. At least not any more than they already do. It'll be okay. You have these mortals here who care for you and you'll always have u-.. I mean me."** Shikamaru glanced at Kyuubi sharply at the slight slip of his tongue. The young boy had been quite sure that Kyuubi had been about to say 'us'. He glanced lazily at the cabin.

"Are you sure Kyuubi?" Naruto whispered as her sweet voice filled with a fear they'd never heard before.

"Neh are you sure you're Naruto? Naruto isn't afraid of anything." Sasuke said boldly. The girl laughed at that.

"Naruto is afraid of lots of things, it's just boys aren't as emotional as girls so Naruto tends to bottle her emotions and at the moment they're a little bit hard to control." The girl answered honestly before taking a deep breath and nodding at Kyuubi. "Okay. I can do this. If not, I'm sure no one will mind if I spend the next sixty years hiding in a cardboard box in Chouji's closet."

"Hey why my closet?" Chouji protested. Naruto grinned.

"I've seen that closet. They'll never think to look for me in there." The others laughed. Kiba frowned as Akamaru barked.

"You knew all along Akamaru?" He asked the dog who barked again. "I see. She asked you to keep it a secret." Understanding dawned on his face. "That's why whenever we had sleepovers you always turned your back when we were changing." Naruto smiled impishly.

"Yup." The boys all looked at her horrified.

"You've seen us in nothing but undies!" She fell over laughing at their face expressions, the bubbling sweet laugh that left her mouth making everyone smile.

"Do you have any idea how funny it was!" She gasped as she laughed

"Is that why you were always biting your finger until it bled at those times? So that you didn't laugh out loud?" Shikamaru asked. She glanced up at him, her eyes shining.

"You don't miss anything do you?" She asked him. He shrugged.

"I was curious." He explained. "You had lots of funny little mannerisms, times when you'd go blank and distant to the world. I like solving puzzles. It just so happened that working out what was different with you seemed like a great puzzle to solve." She rolled her eyes at him.

"What's your IQ again mister genius?" She teased.

**"I thought you were all leaving?"** Kyuubi asked. Naruto grinned and whispered something in his ear, causing the red haired man to blush like a tomato and thump her on the head. She laughed at him, spinning away.

"You're going to need new clothes again." Ino smiled at her. Naruto stopped and stared at her blankly.

"What's wrong with these clothes? I like these clothes?" Naruto said, turning around slowly as she looked at her clothes.

"They're _boy's_ clothes. You should be in a dress or a skirt." Naruto's face went white and she backed away hands in front of her.

"No. No. No. No. No. Never. Ever. Ever. I am not wearing those, those THINGS. I'm wearing pants or nothing." The blonde girl said.

"But you're a girl?" Ino gasped.

"So? Hinata's a girl and she wears pants. Tenten's a girl and she wears pants." Naruto pointed out to have both girls nod.

"At least change your top." Naruto looked down at herself.

"Why? I'm not a woman yet. I have no need of bras just yet thank you. Besides what's wrong with this?"

"You look like Shikamaru."

"You're the one who picked it out Ino. Maybe you were trying to make me look like Shikamaru sub-consciously." The blonde said wiggling her eyebrows at the other blonde girl. "Does Ino have a crush on Shika-ma-ru?" She turned it into a singsong as the other girl's mouth fell open. Naruto clapped her hands together and spun her blonde hair a halo around her head as she laughed. "Ino and Shikamaru sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s—i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the eepp!" Naruto turned and ran away from the irate Ino, who chased her around the clearing.

"I don't like Shikamaru! I like SASUKE! SASUKE I TELL YOU!" Naruto hid behind Neji.

"Sasuke? Why Sasuke?" The blonde asked confused peeking out from around the pale eyed boy. Ino sighed dreamily.

"He's gorgeous." Ino gushed, turning love heart filled eyes towards Sasuke. Naruto walked over to Sasuke and stared at him. Narrowing her eyes at him she tilted her head. Grabbing his face she turned it this way and that. She took a few steps back and looked at him from head to toe before turning to Ino.

"What are you seeing in him exactly?" The adults in the clearing started laughing at Ino and Sakura's face expressions.

"What? How can you not see that he's gorgeous?" Naruto shrugged.

"Because I don't think he's gorgeous obviously. He's not my type." She said with a firm nod.

"What is your type?" Ino asked curiously. Naruto laughed.

"I don't have a type! I have no time for boys or silly little crushes I have to train, train, train!" The girl explained enthusiastically. Suddenly Sasuke groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"I got beat in a taijutsu match by a _girl_." He wailed just loud enough for everyone to hear. Sasuke then turned and started head-butting a tree. Naruto ran over and grabbed his arm.

"Oi stop head-butting my tree. That's a part of my mind your head-butting there." She rested a hand on the tree for a moment. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't head butt my memories of Tsunade. She's the closest thing besides Kyuubi that I have to a mother." The girl told him.

**"Kit what part of ****_get_****_out_**** didn't you understand?"** Kyuubi growled, tapping his foot with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face. Naruto stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's my mind I'll leave whenever I like." Kyuubi growled at her before throwing a quick longing glance at the cabin. Naruto chuckled, a deep throaty sound. "Okay, okay we're going." She told him before ushering everyone out of her mind. Back in Sarutobi's office, everyone stood and groaned as they moved aching muscles.

"Right so Naruto, your training with Gai will be from four in the morning until nine o'clock at which time the four of us will meet at the little red bridge." Kakashi told her and the other two. They all nodded.

"Neh Naruto?" Naruto glanced over at Shikamaru. "Thanks for letting us meet Kyuubi and for showing us your true self." Naruto shrugged and grinned at her friend. Shikamaru's eyes sparkled with humour. "And just so you know, I'm going to work out that _other_ secret of yours." Naruto froze. "Not to use against you or anything. Like I said, I enjoy solving puzzles and you're probably the best puzzle I've ever encountered. I think this will be a fun challenge." The lazy boy told her honestly. Naruto just sighed.

"Excuse me if I don't make it easy on you." She told the boy who grinned.

"Good I need a challenge." Naruto shook her head wryly.

_-"Should've known. That Nara is too damn smart for his own good. Mind you, I think him knowing our secret wouldn't be too bad. He's one of the few people I'd trust with the secret."-_ Naruto nodded internally at her father while eyeing Shikamaru. Shikamaru grinned at her.

"Worried are you?" He teased. Naruto shrugged.

"If it was anyone else telling me they'd work out my secret then no I wouldn't be worried. But you?" Naruto shook her head. "You're too damn smart for your own good. So it's probably a good thing you're one of the people I'd trust most to keep this secret to yourself isn't it?" Shikamaru grinned; pleased that Naruto would trust him so much. Naruto glanced at the time and blinked.

"Tell me it's not 7:00 o'clock already?" She pleaded with Sarutobi.

"Sorry Naruto, but it is indeed that late already."

"GAH! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" She yelled, turning and racing from the room.

"Late for what?"

"Training."

"Something things never change. Even if she is a girl."

"She probably still eats more food than anyone except Chouji." They all left Sarutobi's office, talking about the hyperactive blonde.

(Author's Note) Wretched Yuri: Aha! There it is! The first of the really interesting bits :D I'm soooo sorry that this chapter is so long, but as I said, when I actually wrote this part of the story, my chapters were about ten pages of a word Document long. Each chapter . and I couldn't see a way to break this section into sections? Anyway, please forgive me! Keep reading and let me know what you think please?! Wretched Yuri out for now, I may get time to post the next chapter after this in the next few days!


	6. Chapter 5

(Author's note): Wretched Yuri: I'm so sorry that this took so long to post, I am a horrible person! if it makes you feel any better, the only reason I haven't posted this chapter is that I've been sick as a dog, recently got kicked out of home so have been busy moving out, and had to buy a new charger for my laptop after it died! D: But I promise that now that things are settling back down for me, I will try to be more consistent with my posting of chapters! Here's chapter five! Enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

"Neh Naruto what kind of mission do you think we'll get today?" Sakura asked the blonde, as she walked along beside her. Sasuke followed them, silent as ever. They'd learnt to just ignore him. At least he wasn't so nasty to Naruto and actually asked her for help, although Naruto suspected it had something to do with Sasuke's fear of Kyuubi. He was right to be scared. Kyuubi hated Uchiha's with a passion. The only Uchiha he didn't hate was Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. It had been two months since they started missions together as a team. Naruto was holding Tora, her worst nightmare at the moment. She swore black and blue that the Daimyo's wife trained the stupid cat to run away on purpose so that she could make the life of Konoha's genin miserable. They walked into the Hokage's office and Naruto held the cat up to the chubby woman by the scruff of its neck.

"One brown cat with a red ribbon on its ear." She told her as she scooped the cat up and hugged it tight to her chest rubbing her face against its head as she gave Sarutobi a wad of money. Naruto growled at the cat as the woman left.

"So your next mission today is-…"

"If you say anything about another D rank I will lock you in Kyuubi's den for a month." Naruto's voice cut in. Sarutobi smiled as Iruka stared at Naruto in shock.

"Well then it's a good thing I wasn't going to say anything about another D rank mission isn't it?" Sarutobi said with a grin. Naruto relaxed.

"We'll just wait for the other teams to arrive from their missions." The others arrived soon after, and the entire Rookie twelve was present.

"Didn't you guys have the Tora mission?" Ino asked Sakura who nodded. "How did you finish the mission so quickly?" Sakura pointed at Naruto who was itching furiously at the cat scratches on her cheek.

"Naruto just let loose some foxy KI and the cat played nice. After scratching the crap out of her." Sakura explained.

"Why aren't these scratches healed yet?" Shikamaru asked, poking Naruto's cheek where one scratch was particularly nasty. Naruto let loose a sound that sounded uncannily like a yelp and slapped Shikamaru's hand away as the scratch started bleeding. She jumped around as she itched at it, making it bleed even more.

"Naruto can you stop that? I have some news that is going to make Kyuubi very happy. It concerns a certain snake that he hates." Naruto froze and her KI rose and everyone watched as a red shimmer appeared around her. She turned to look at Sarutobi with slit red eyes.

**"Did you say snake? Oh and don't worry, I haven't escaped the seal. That's impossible. I can however take control every once in a while. I want that snake dead SARUTOBI!" **Kyuubi roared, the demonic voice that protruded from Naruto's mouth causing everyone to shiver. **"Oh by the way, that cat had poison on its claws. Probably ate a dead animal before it was caught. Any diseases that dead animal would have had would have transferred to the cat's claws when it used them to rip into the dead animal. Naruto's about to fall screaming to the floor while convulsing uncontrollably. Please don't touch her or try to help her. I have to purge her system."** With that Naruto's eyes turned blue and she screamed, dropping to the floor as her whole body shuddered with a convulsion that broke bones audibly. Another scream tore from her mouth as her body went through another convulsion, red chakra spinning around her body. When it was over, she pushed himself up to her hands and knees, her forehead resting on the floor.

"Oh I hate Baka demon foxes, Baka poison, Baka snakes. I hate them, hate them, hate them." She then proceeded to throw up blood onto the floor. Blood that was a very distinctive yellow.

"Naruto why is your blood yellow?"

"Poison in the blood from cat scratches. Have to purge the bad blood from my system." The blonde gasped before dry-retching continuously. When she was done she rocked back on her heels and sat. "I hate that cat." She commented absently as her colour returned to normal and the scratches vanished. Wrinkling her nose at the blood in front of her she clicked her fingers and it burst into pretty blue and purple flames. Once the blood was gone the fire danced its way over to Naruto, dancing across her fingertips before vanishing.

_-"Are you okay musume?"-_

_Yer Otousan I'm okay._ Naruto turned her attention to Sarutobi.

"So you mentioned something about the snake teme?" Sarutobi nodded.

"Let me explain from the beginning. The snake has become the leader of a hidden village called the Otogakure. He is intending to invade and destroy us. There are four teams here. Two teams, Team eight and Team Gai, are off to Kumogakure (hidden village in the clouds) and Takigakure (village hidden in the waterfall) to talk to them. Teams seven and ten have two missions. The first is to escort the bridge builder of Wave Country back to his home and then protect him as he constructs a bridge. The second mission is to go to Sunagakure (village hidden in the sand). The reason we know that Otogakure Village is intending to attack us is because they offered an alliance to Suna, who was going to accept until they found out that we have a Jinchuuriki too, one who is more powerful than their own. They are also hoping we might be able to help them with their jinchuuriki." Naruto scratched the back of her head, crossing her legs into her usual thinking position.

"Suna. That's in Wind Country isn't it?" Sarutobi nodded. They watched as Naruto tilted her head. "Kyuubi says it must be Ichibi no Shukkaku. Apparently this kid will be an insomniac. If the Jinchuuriki of Shukkaku sleeps they run the risk of Shukkaku destroying their mind and taking control of them. They're very unstable apparently."

"And you're stable?" Naruto grinned.

"Compared to this guy, I'm going to seem _normal_." She told them all.

"Is that possible?" Shikamaru teased.

Naruto frowned at her friend.

"You should be nice to me you know." She told the boy, waving an accusing finger at him.

"Oh and why's that?"

"I know where you go when you're avoiding Ino." Shikamaru blanched while Ino's eyes glowed.

"You do? Where?" Naruto grinned at her.

"Sorry Ino. Can't say." She ran around the room as the other girl chased her telling her to stand still so she could hit her.

"I take it you are all okay with your missions?" They all nodded. "Can you please come in now?" They all paused as a tall man carrying a bottle of sake entered the room. He looked them over and snorted.

"These kids are supposed to protect me? The great bridge builder Tazuna? That one doesn't look like much at all." The man said pointing at Naruto, who grinned at him slyly. "What's so funny shorty?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. As a boy she would have been offended, but as a girl height didn't bother her. She shrugged and ducked the blow that Ino had been sneaking up behind to hit her with, skipping out of the way before grinning impishly at the girl and then vanishing to reappear from behind Sakura, the only person she trusted wouldn't be scared of Ino. Sarutobi shook his head.

"Naruto you're allowed to let people know your dangerous now." Naruto grinned at him.

"I'm not dangerous Jiji-san. I'm harmless." She grinned, fluttering her eyelashes at the bridge builder in an innocently girly way. Some of the men in the room had to hide blood noses. Her long blonde hair was hanging in a low ponytail down her back. It had a bright orange ribbon in it at the bottom of her hair. She'd grown in the last two months, her body deciding to go to war on her as she hit puberty, meaning that the girl spent a week of the month in the worst moods imaginable. Luckily for everyone she barricaded herself in training ground 44 for that week. Tazuna stared at the girl with a goofy lecherous grin.

"Such a pretty girl." He cooed, grinning at her. Her eye twitched and he was suddenly an imprint in the wall and the girl was standing where he had been, cracking her knuckles.

"I _hate_ perverts." She snarled.

"You're not supposed to hurt him Naruto, you're supposed to protect him and besides your sensei's a pervert." Sarutobi told her. She glanced at Kakashi and shrugged.

"Kakai-sensei only _reads_ smut. He doesn't force himself on girls or go peeping at hot springs." She explained. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief that in the girl's mind he was only a 'minor' pervert.

"Well if we are all agreed then you will start off tomorrow." They all bowed to Sarutobi and left. Just as the teams split up for the day, Kiba remembered something his mother had told him that morning.

"Hey Naruto! Kaasan asked me to tell you to stop by our clinic. Apparently she had a patient brought in and she thinks you're the best person to adopt the patient." Kiba told the girl. She nodded and followed him, the rest of the rookie twelve followed.

When they arrived at Inuzuka Dog clinic, the dogs inside all went crazy the moment Naruto entered. A tall woman, who looked like an older, female version of Kiba, appeared smiling.

"There's only one thing that'll set these dogs off like that and that's a fox." She told them all with a grin, winking at Naruto.

"Ohayo Tsume-dono." Naruto greeted her. Tsume winked at the girl before growling in the direction of where the dogs were in their cages. "Kiba said you have a patient you thought I'd like to adopt?" Naruto asked the woman, who nodded, leading them down a hall and into a small room. "We found the poor thing the other day in the forest. It had been wounded by a kunai or something. Its family were dead. The poor little thing was lucky to survive." Tsume explained, leading the into the room. A small reddish brown fox kit was curled into a ball. It looked at them and shrunk into a tight ball.

"I thought that you know, seeing as there's a fox inside you it makes you part fox, and well no one else is going to take it in and I can't, the dogs at home would tear him apart,." Naruto nodded as she moved closer to the fox kit and sat down.

**"Poor little Kit. And humans call demons monsters. You've got to enhance your fox scent Kit. Let some of my chakra seep out into your scent. The Kit will just smell that you've got fox in you. It won't be able to tell I'm here until it touches you."** Kyuubi rumbled in the back of her head. She got the strange sensation that her Otousan was taking a nap in bed. She channelled some of Kyuubi's chakra, enhancing her fox smell. Akamaru whimpered slightly and hid in Kiba's jacket as the boy breathed in deeply.

"Why are you breathing in like that?"

"Her scent's changing. It smells foxier now. I mean she always smells slightly like a fox, but now it's even more pronounced. You guys would have to be up close to her to smell what I can." Kiba explained. Obviously he wasn't the only one who could smell the change as the little fox Kit's ears pricked forward and its head lifted, sniffing in Naruto's direction. Slowly, the little Kit unwound itself from the ball it had made itself and hesitantly made its way over to Naruto. The minute the Kit touched her with its nose it backed up and whimpered its tail between its legs. Slowly it stretched out its nose and pressed it to Naruto's leg. The Kit's tail began to wag as the little fox jumped into her lap, yapping excitedly. Naruto laughed as she found she could understand the little fox.

"Hello Kusachi. I'm Naruto." She told the little fox kit as he jumped up to her shoulder and looked into her cerulean blue eyes with his piercing golden ones. The fox kit licked her face and she laughed, standing as she cuddled the small thing to her. "Arigato Tsume-dono. How much would you like for him? You did take care of him after all."

"I don't want anything at all. Dogs and foxes may not get along too well most of the time, but they are distant cousins after all." Tsume told the girl with a grin. Naruto smiled at her.

"Now you're a Kaasan." Ino told the girl as the fox kit Kusachi licked Naruto's face again.

"So who's the Otousan?" Sakura asked with a smile. Kusachi tilted his little head as he leaned out from Naruto's arms, sniffing at the people around her who all slightly bore Naruto's scent. He growled slightly at Kiba until Naruto shook her head and his growl subsided. He leaned out further, his little nose quivering as he closed his eyes, taking in everyone's scent. His eyes opened as he jumped out from Naruto's arms, landing on Shikamaru, who quickly caught him. The little fox sniffed Shikamaru all over and then yipped before licking the boy's cheek.

"There's your answer Sakura." Hinata said with a grin. "Shikamaru's Otousan." Shikamaru glared down at the little fox that licked his face again.

"Listen here little fox. I'm not anybody's Otousan, especially yours." Kusachi gently rammed his head against Shikamaru's chin before licking his face again and jumping back to Naruto where he proceeded to clean her face.

"I'm quite clean already thank you." She told the fox who rubbed his head against her cheek. A soft smile tugged at Naruto's lips as she scratched Kusachi behind the ears. They all split up from the clinic to go home and pack. The next morning, arriving at the gates of Konoha, team ten was amused to see that Kusachi was commanding a spot on Naruto's head, his little ears pricked forward and his eyes gleaming. She hurried them all out of the gates, racing this way and that.

"Naruto what on earth is the matter with you?" Sakura asked, bonking her on the shoulder, as she couldn't hit her head.

"I've never been outside the village before. Not properly." Naruto answered, her blue eyes glowing as sniffed the air.

"Are you sure I'm going to be safe with this kid?" Tazuna asked Kakashi as they walked. Kakashi nodded.

"These kids are all a lot stronger than they look. But Asuma and I are both Jounin so you'll be safe with us." The smoking jounin grunted his agreement. Soon enough, they had split into three groups as they walked. The girls talked as they went, the three boys walked with their hands in their pockets, and the three adults followed them. At midday the sun was high in the sky when they passed by a puddle. Naruto didn't even look at it, although she was subtly breathing in very deeply to pick up any scents. Shikamaru glanced lazily at the pond, and Kakashi and Asuma barely glanced at it. Kusachi, the little fox, sat up on Naruto's head, his ears twitching back and forth. He sniffed the air and yipped. Naruto looked up at him and shrugged. Kusachi growled but settled back down. As soon as they'd all passed, two shapes came out of the puddle and rushed them.

"Two." They said, wrapping chains around both of the jounin and ripping them to shreds. Sakura screamed.

"Three." They said moving onto Naruto who calmly dodged their attack before using a spinning kick to separate the two Nin. Her eyes tracked the other's movements as she dodged the other one, her sensitive nose picking up the scent of poison.

"Don't let them hit you with their claw thingies." She called out to the others as her teammates joined her and the Shika-Cho-Ino duo took on the other one. Naruto watched as the enemy Nin desperately tried to get to Tazuna. She created a Kage Bunshin which grabbed the man and shunshined him away from the attacking Nin.

"Kagemane no jutsu. Success." Shikamaru said lazily.

"Mind swap no jutsu." Ino called out, her hands set in a triangle seal before she collapsed and so did the Nin. Moments later she returned to her body and Chouji wacked on the Nin until it was unconscious. Shikamaru disengaged his shadow jutsu and the three settled down to watch the heavy assault team. Naruto dodged a slice at her head, dropped to the ground and swung her body up with all her strength, kicking the Nin high into the air.

"Naruto." She said calmly. Sasuke appeared calmly next to the nin in the air, spin kicking him even higher.

"Sasuke." He said just as Naruto, holding onto Sakura, spun and tossed the girl into the air with all her demon given strength. Sakura was soon above the nin in the air as she brought her fists together above him.

"Sakura." She said, slamming her combined fist into his stomach twice using the strength Tsunade had taught her to use using chakra. As he fell, Sasuke, who'd jumped back into air, slammed his foot down in a horizontal kick. The Nin flew towards the ground. As soon as he was parallel with Naruto, she slammed her foot out into his stomach, passing the moment of his fall and blowing him sideways into a tree. Gently she pushed off the ground with her hand, flipping to land beside her teammates in her family taijutsu stance, The Whirlwind. Sasuke dropped down next to her, dropping into his stance and Sakura dropped down on the other side of him, taking up a medical taijutsu stance.

"Combo." The three said together. Team ten whistled.

"Remind us to never take you three on in a fight?" Ino said, mouth open. "I didn't even know that you three could work together?" Sakura shrugged.

"When it comes to fighting we do. Since the time that Sasuke stuffed up, Naruto has hounded and hounded him until he's become an active member of the team in fights. He even talks occasionally now." Sakura grinned at Sasuke, who let a small smirk slip across his face as Naruto's Kage Bunshin brought Tazuna back over to them. Naruto was busy tying the nin her team had beaten to a tree as Chouji and Shikamaru dragged their nin over to be tied as well, so missed the argument between Sakura and Ino over Sasuke.

"You kids are amazing! Taking on ninja that killed your senseis!" Tazuna gushed, although he felt incredibly guilty. Naruto glanced at him in shock.

"Our senseis aren't dead Tazuna." He looked at her. Shikamaru jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the tree above them where two dark shapes were nestled in the tree.

"They wanted to see who the enemy Nin were after." Shikamaru informed the bridge builder.

"Are you going to tell us why they were after you and not one of us?" Kakashi asked dropping from the tree. Tazuna gulped and went white.

"But they went after your kids here!" He stuttered. Ino shook her head as she joined them with Sakura and Sasuke.

"Not true. At the beginning of the fight the enemy Nin kept trying to get past us, until Naruto moved you safely away. Then they realised they'd have to go through us first." The Yamanaka girl informed the man.

"And that's when we stopped worrying about what they were after and dealt with them." Sasuke said. Ino blinked at him in surprise.

"I told you he talks." Sakura informed her best friend with a grin.

"Hn." Sasuke responded and both girls' faces went downcast. Asuma dropped from the tree, landing lightly next to it and leaning against it as he lit a new cigarette.

"You know we already know that they were after you, and technically we don't even have to ask you for the details, we can just ask Ino. But either way this mission is out of our league. We should return to Konoha." Asuma stated. Kakashi shook his head.

"As much as I agree with you Asuma, we can't. We have other places to be once we've completed this mission." The masked jounin reminded the bearded one who sighed before turning his attention to their students.

"Well done you six." He said as Kakashi nodded.

"Sakura I liked that fake scream of yours. Very convincing." Sakura turned bright pink. "It was fake wasn't it?" Kakashi asked. Sakura coughed lightly and edged behind Naruto who grinned.

"Where did your team come up with that move of theirs Kakashi?" Asuma asked. Kakashi shrugged.

"Their always coming up with moves like that on the fly. They each use a different taijutsu style, so they just mix them together in battle. Naruto is a mix of speed and strength, Sakura is all strength and Sasuke is all speed, even though Naruto's a little bit faster than him." The girl grinned at the boy who smirked back. "I liked your team's move. Very subtle, tidy and neat and over within a few minutes. Why did you get those students and I get the flashy showy off ones?" Kakashi asked with a smile.

"Probably because you're a flashy showy off sensei." Naruto told him smugly. Asuma chuckled as Kakashi's visible eye twitched.

"Well these nin are pretty well tied to this tree. I don't think they're going to get away before ANBU can pick them up. There's a patrol coming through this way soon I believe."

(Author's Note): Wretched Yuri: Well there you go, chapter five! This was a reasonably short chapter compared to the others (Did I mention that in a word document this story is roughly a 130 pages long?) I have a few days off from work this week, so I'll upload the next chapter this Wednesday if possible! Until next time!


	7. Chapter 6

(Author's note: Wretched Yuri: I'm doing a time skip here. Because well, really the same things that happen in the original happen here, except that team seven can already tree walk, so team ten learns that while team seven learn other things. The story will pick back up at the start of the Chunin exams after the teams return from the villages they visited. And once again, it has taken me aaaggeeesss to update. And _again_ the only real excuse I have is that I'm always busier than I expect to be (my military boyfriend was home on mid-year leave last week, please forgive me for being distracted. I can only ask that you stick with me and my lack of updating consistency, as this story has a long way to go! I give you, Chapter 6.)

**Chapter 6**

When Naruto joined her teammates at the entrance to the academy, the three of them grinned at each other, excited. Their trip to Wave Country and Wind Country had changed the three of them slightly. Sakura had dropped her Sasuke fan girl ways for the most part. Sasuke didn't have a stick up his butt anymore and actually _talked_. Naruto wasn't as loud or brash anymore. She thought about what she did before she did it. The other two had found that she was like the calm in the eye of the storm. She was the rock in their group that kept them strong, Sasuke was the coldness that kept anyone from messing with them and Sakura was the gooey, sticky mess (in other words the broken bones if they disagreed with her) that kept them together. When they walked up to the door that said room 304, the three of them did a double take. Naruto tilted her head, her ears picking up the sound of feet and movement from the floor above. Kusachi, curled up with his head on his front paws on her head, yipped at her.

"I know Kusachi." The three were amused to see team Gai present who winked at them with amusement.

"Excuse me we'd like to get past." Sakura said politely. The two boys standing in front of the door grinned.

"You don't want to do this." They told her. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to go in there. I want to get through this crowd." She replied calmly. The two boys disappeared, flashing to a halt in front of Sakura. Sasuke was there instantly, catching their punches.

"Nice job spotting that genjutsu Sakura." The boy told his pink haired teammate. Sakura grinned, pleased at the compliment. "Excuse us." Sasuke said pushing the boys away. The jumped him again, only for Lee to catch one guy's foot. The other was met in the air by the other boy from Team Gai and hit the wall, sliding down it, his eyes uncrossed as Neji landed gently on the balls of his feet in front of Sakura. Lee held the guy's foot and pushed it away before bowing to Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke I wish to fight you." The boy told him. Sasuke smiled.

"I want to fight you too Lee." The other boy grinned in triumph. "Neji?" Sasuke asked, looking at the other boy. Neji shook his head with a small smile.

"You are talented Uchiha but you are not who I wish to fight." He bowed to Naruto as she joined them with Tenten.

"Bring it on Neji." The girl told him with a grin. He smirked.

"I look forward to beating you Naruto-chan." He retorted with a grin. Her grin widened and she stopped and looked at the two boys who'd tried attacking them.

"Izumo? Kotetsu?" They both just groaned. Naruto picked Izumo up and took him over to Kotetsu, leaning him against the wall next to his teammate before walking off with the others. They found an empty area and Lee and Sasuke started their fight while Naruto yawned and slumped against a nearby pillar, the other three joining her. Soon enough, Maito Gai, the sensei of Lee, Neji and Tenten arrived in his usual green spandex suit with the Jounin vest on over the top and wearing bright orange leg warmers. His hair was cut in a bowl around his head and he had _hugely_ thick eyebrows. Lee was almost his exact carbon copy. The boy dressed the same, had his hair the same, even _his_ eyebrows were the same. When team Gai left, with Gai telling Lee off as they went, team seven followed them at a distance up the stairs and onto the third floor. In front of room 304, Kakashi stood waiting.

"Ah I'm glad you guys could make it. It's a good thing you're all here. Only teams of three are allowed in." He said. They glanced at each other but understood what he meant. If he'd told them it had to be a group of three, Sakura would have gone just for Naruto's and Sasuke's sake, whether she felt she was ready or not. Because Sakura had gone of her own willingness they could enter.

"I just wanted to tell the three you good luck and that I'm proud of you." Kakashi told them all with an eye smile. His three students flushed with the praise. Praise from their sensei was rare so this compliment the three of them would cherish. They opened the door and Kakashi watched them enter, worried for them. The door swung closed and he left to join the other senseis that were going to watch the test in a special room. His three students looked around at all of the genin in the room. There was a large amount of KI aimed at them, but Sakura and Sasuke, who had Naruto as a teammate just rolled their eyes and nodded at the girl. She frowned but realised a shockwave of Kyuubi's KI, sufficiently causing people to soil themselves. One boy, sitting in the back of the room with his brother and sister, grinned. He had been knocked unconscious by that girl and dragged into her mindscape where Kyuubi had beaten Shukkaku to a pulp and her father had fixed Gaara's seal. Gaara was one of the only people to know about Minato now. He and his family, his entire village, owed a debt to that girl with the glowing blue eyes. Her gaze met his and he grinned at her getting a sly wink in return. The other rookies joined team seven.

"Did you have to do that? Akamaru's still shaking." Kiba told the girl. Kusachi lifted his head from the top of his paws on Naruto's head and yipped at the shaking puppy under Kiba's hood on his head. Akamaru stopped shaking and barked at the fox kit that yipped at him again.

"Sorry. Their KI was making my nose itch." Sasuke explained, rubbing his nose. Sakura nodded her agreement rubbing her nose as well as Naruto shrugged. A grey haired, glass wearing boy came over to them.

"Quiet down you lot. You're all rookie here against experienced genin." He told them. Kusachi started growling at him. Naruto breathed in and the growl that reverberated from her had the boy backing up a step.

"What the hell? I'm just being nice." He told her. Her blue eyes were cold and frosty. Distrust and dislike shone in them. The rookies, all of who were familiar with Naruto's ability to judge people accurately, looked at the boy warily.

"My name's Kabuto. I've done this exam seven times, so it's made me a bit of a pro." He told them.

"If you were a pro, you would have passed." Kiba snorted at him. Kabuto glared at the boy slightly.

"I have information on people if you'd like to know. I keep them in these special cards I've collected." He told them, pulling the card out. Sasuke got slightly curious.

"Do you have cards on Sabaku no Gaara, Rock Lee and Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto?" He asked. Sakura frowned.

"Why do you want information on your own teammate?" She asked him stiffly.

"I want to see how good his information is. I know Naruto, so if his stuff on her isn't up to scratch, then I know that none of the rest is." Sasuke shrugged. Kabuto frowned and pushed his glasses up.

"Sabaku no Gaara. Genin of Sunagakure, third child of the Kazekage. 50 D-rank, 25 C- rank, 2 B-ranks, and an A-rank?" Kabuto whistled. "Impressive. Also it's said that he has some ability with sand. He's never come back from a mission injured, not even a scratch." They all glanced at Gaara who raised an eyebrow at them, a small smile tugging one corner of his mouth. After meeting Naruto and the other Konoha ninja, the boy had come out of his shell. He was no longer a psychotic killer, although most of the time he still acted rather psychotic.

"Rock Lee. Genin of Konohagakure. 60 D-rank, 35 C-rank, and 1 B-rank. Taijutsu specialist. No known abilities in genjutsu and ninjutsu." Rock Lee muttered something under his breath. "Very talented bunch so far." Kabuto commented before pulling out one more card. The whole room went quiet to listen to this one.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. Genin of Konohagakure. Only child of the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato. Taijutsu specialist. Very adept at ninjutsu with very little genjutsu skill. Spent the first 13 years of her life masquerading as a boy and hiding her heritage so that she wouldn't be killed by her father's enemies. Very skilled at Henge. 100 D-rank, 60 C-rank, 3 B-rank and 1 A-rank." An Iwagakure (hidden village in the stone) ninja threw herself at Naruto.

"Your father killed my family! I'll kill you!" Naruto stepped lithely out of the way and bent, snapping her foot out and effectively kicking the girl back into her seat. The girl sat there stunned, looking at the other girl.

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP YOU BRATS!" Most of them jumped and turned to see a tall scarred man surrounded by Chunin.

"My name is Morino Ibiki and I am your proctor for this section of the exam. Take a seat where your name is up there." He said, pointing at the desks and seats. Only when she had sat down did Naruto discover that she was next to Hinata and that her teammates were in other sections of the room. Luckily for them, Shikamaru, who had already worked out the meaning behind the test, having discussed the proctor in depth with his father before, had murmured it to Naruto who had then devised a plan with Sakura. Once Ibiki finished explaining the point to the test, everyone got to work.

Kusachi stood and shook his little fur out, his tail swishing behind him while golden eyes looked around the room. Many of the Chunin were unnerved by the sight of the fox. Ibiki at the head of the room smiled when the fox started yipping quietly as it looked around and the young girl whose head it sat on, started writing as she leaned on one hand, looking bored. Sasuke could have used his Sharingan but didn't want anyone knowing he had it, so the plan worked for him too. Sakura, smart though she was, had looked at the test and gasped. Not even _she_ could answer these questions. She'd glanced at Shikamaru to see him writing away. She silently thanked him for warning Naruto. Without that plan, Sakura would be toast. She made it look like she was writing on her paper. Once she was done, Naruto leant back in her chair and turned her gaze on the window. She concentrated and it blew open, the wind rushing into the room. While the Chunin were distracted trying to close the window, Kusachi picked her paper in his mouth and raced over to Sakura, who gave him the empty one, who raced it back over to Naruto. Sakura filled in her name at the top of the page, amused by the fact that Naruto had written the test in Sakura's handwriting.

Once the empty sheet was back with Naruto and Kusachi was back on her head, the window closed off its own accord and Naruto started writing out the answers once more. Once she was done again, she looked up to see Ibiki watching her closely. She held his gaze and let one eyelid droop close in a lazy wink as the pencil being held by the boy at the desk closest to the door at the front, burst into blue flames. The boy dropped his pencil with a yelp, lifting his paper off the desk as the desk caught alight. The Chunin moved over to him, but Ibiki kept watching Naruto. Her eyes narrowed at him slightly and his desk caught alight, as well as the blackboard behind him. He yelped and pulled his hand away from the desk. The second he was distracted, Kusachi was off swapping papers with Sasuke. The other members of the Konoha 12 as people had started calling them, having seen Naruto playing with her fire, wondered what she was up to until they noticed Kusachi, her little fox kit, swap papers with Sasuke and then rush back to Naruto while Sasuke wrote his name at the top of the test and sat back. Naruto glanced at the plants at the front of the room, then the chairs the Chunin were sitting on and those burst into flame too. She wrote down the answers for the third time, this time in her own handwriting and wrote her name at the top of the paper. Once she was done, the fires all went out suddenly. Ibiki turned on her.

"NAMIKAZE!" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes proctor?"

"Show me your test paper." She held it up for him to see. He sighed. It was filled in just like it had been every other time he'd looked at it. Meanwhile in the special room in which the senseis were watching the proceedings, Kakashi was rolling on the floor laughing as all the other senseis chuckled and wiped tears of laughter from their eyes. They'd seen the girl's ploy as the wind raced through the room and her fox had raced over to Sakura and back and then done the same thing with Sasuke while things were on fire.

"Poor Ibiki!" Kakashi gasped.

"How does she do that?" Kurenai, the sensei of team eight asked curiously. Kakashi shook his head.

"Sorry Kurenai. I can't tell you. It'd be unfair on my student to give you information you might pass on to your students who might later face her in the exam."

At the end of the test, Naruto made her speech and everyone stayed. Anko jumped through the window and gave her speech and then everyone left. Just as Ibiki was picking up Naruto's test her desk flashed and words appeared in the wood, flames the same blue as the ones that has set his desk alight. His eye twitched. Then he read the message and froze.

_Ibiki._

_The genin from Konoha Kabuto, is a spy. I don't care if he's the son of the medical division head. I know what I smell, and what I smell on him is the scent of a certain 'snake'. I'd know that scent anywhere. It's the scent that got Kyuubi in his prison. Foxes hunt snakes. Let the Hokage know that we have a traitor. Both my team and I can deal with Kabuto in the second part of the test or someone else can. I think snake-teme is after Sasuke's eyes. I have a score to settle with him. Let Jiji-san know that the invasion is beginning. Have fun Ibiki. Sorry about burning your hand._

_ Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto._

As soon as he finished reading, the words vanished. He raced from the room after collecting the other papers, going flat out for the Hokage's office where all of the Jounin were gathered.

"Ibiki what's wrong?" Sarutobi asked. Ibiki, out of breath took a few seconds to get his wind back.

"Invasion's- about … to –start." He gasped. Everyone froze.

"How do you know this?"

"My –source.. smelt – snake… on - traitor." Ibiki almost had his breath back.

"Who is the traitor?"

"The genin med nin Kabuto." Ibiki said, straightening up.

"Your source of information is sure?"

"It doesn't get any surer Hokage-sama."

"Who provided you with the information?" Ibiki grinned.

"What are snakes afraid of? What hunts them?" Everyone smiled tightly.

"Foxes." Sarutobi said. Then realisation dawned. "That means he's here. It also means that Naruto's going to let Kyuubi rip him to shreds. Does she have any idea what he's after?" Ibiki nodded.

"She believes that he may be after her teammate Uchiha Sasuke's eyes." Everyone groaned. It was quickly becoming apparent that the Uchiha clan was worth more trouble than anything else.

"Very well. Have the spy, Kabuto arrested the moment he exits the second part of the exam." Ibiki nodded and left.

"What are we going to do Hokage-sama?" One Jounin asked. Sarutobi looked up at him in surprise.

"Why we're going to let nature take its course of course."

"What do you mean? We're not going to do anything?"

"We don't need to. Nature's cycle will run its course and the fox will hunt the snake as it has done so since the beginning of time."

"You're going to let a genin go up against _him_? Kakashi why aren't you arguing? This is your student we're talking about!" Kakashi shrugged.

"You'll understand why I'm not arguing with him when the time comes." The jounin said vaguely.

"Welcome to the forest of death." Anko told them all with a vicious grin. Most of them gulped audibly in fear as they stared up at the huge, towering trees on the other side of the fence. "Also known as training ground 44. You're home for the next week. You will be given a scroll, and you will have to acquire the opposite scroll and take them to the tower in the middle of the forest before the end of the week. Do not open the scrolls until you are in the tower. Bad things will happen." She grinned nastily. "This is to test your ability to be trusted with documents. There will come a time as a Chunin that you will be asked to steal precious documents and bring them to your village. This is testing your trustworthiness."

"What will we do for food?" Chouji asked. Anko smiled viciously once more. "Forage for food in there of course." She glanced around at them all smugly, seeing fear on their faces. Satisfaction seeped through her until she noticed Naruto's bored expression. The girl yawned. Anko flicked a kunai at her and the girl moved her head out of its way. Anko appeared behind her, a kunai resting against the plate on Naruto's glove as she held her hand in front of her throat, which Anko had been aiming for. A long tongue reached over them both, and both females turned to see a young female grass Nin holding the kunai Anko had thrown in her long tongue. Naruto's eyes narrowed and a growl worked its way up her throat, her KI spiking and then vanishing. Foxes in the forest began yipping, and appeared at the fence. Kusachi sat up on her head and yipped back at them. Some of the genin gasped at the size of some of the foxes, who were easily as big as the little building next to the fence.

"What a strange ability you have with foxes little girl." The grass Nin said once Anko had taken back her kunai. The girl retracted her tongue. "But whatever could be the problem with you and your pets?" She asked sweetly. Naruto bared her teeth at the girl in a feral grin that promised pain.

"We can smell the one thing we love to hunt most." Naruto said. Anko's eyes widened slightly but other than that she showed no signs of realising what Naruto meant.

"Well I wish you luck with your hunting." The grass Nin said before moving back to her team. Naruto's eyes bored into her until they'd each received their scroll and gone to their respective gates. The scroll was in her pocket. They figured that because Sasuke had taken the role of leader, everyone would figure he had it.

"Naruto what was that all about?" Sakura whispered.

"The snake's here. You know that one that killed Kyuubi's mates and kits? Well he's here in disguise as that grass Nin girl. I think he's after your eyes Sasuke. He wants your power." She explained quietly to her two teammates.

"Well he can't have it." Sasuke vowed just as quietly. The alarm was sounded and the gates all opened.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Well there you go, chapter six. This one is nice and short, but filled with - I hope - things that will make you smile or giggle. Oh and thank you for the updates and follows and favourites I've been getting! It makes my day to log into my email and see them! If you feel there is some part of my story that doesn't work properly, please let me know! I'm so pleased you like my story! Until the next chapter, which I **will** post either tomorrow or Sunday (my two days off)!


	8. Chapter 7

(Author's note: Wretched Yuri: Look! I'm updating! Now your brains will have too much information to handle and explode! No, not really, but I am really updating. That's right, you now have chapter 7 to read too!)

**Chapter 7**

Their first two nights in the forest passed smoothly. They had obtained the second scroll that they needed from some idiot who'd tried to henge as Naruto while she'd been off finding them food. Naruto's knowledge of the large forest meant they were making good time towards the tower, whilst avoiding all the places that the larger, more dangerous creatures that the forest was home to, could be found. They were sitting in a triangle when a familiar scent filled Naruto's nose and she leapt to her feet growling, before pushing Sakura and Sasuke out of the way as a huge gust of wind grabbed her and threw her through the forest. When she landed, a huge snake stuck at her, only for four large foxes to leap at it, using teeth and claws to rip the snake while they used their tails for balance. Naruto cracked her neck as she let Kyuubi out. A feeling of fury and evil filled the air. Kyuubi was ready for some payback. Her KI, infused with Kyuubi rose so high that many of the genin in the forest passed out. The other members of the Konoha twelve glanced at their teammates and the other three teams started to run through the forest to help their friends. In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi stood looking out the window towards training ground 44, his hands behind his back as the Jounin and Anko stood behind him. They watched as what appeared to be a red mist spread out from one point in the forest and spread through it before gathering above one point in the form of a huge, grinning fox head. It vanished suddenly, as did the KI and the next thing they all saw and heard that indicated Kyuubi was around was a large 'boom' and a plume of smoke and dust that appeared from where the fox head had been.

Sasuke stared at the grass nin as she came closer. Sakura was unconscious, hanging limply over a tree branch a few trees away and a few metres down. Naruto was somewhere. Sasuke was scared. The grass Nin's head shot out towards him on a ridiculously long neck and he closed his eyes. Only to be shoved aside. His eyes snapped open as he fell. A large fox grabbed him and landed on a tree branch, throwing him deftly onto his back. Up on the branch, the grass nin had its teeth sunk into Naruto's neck. Her hands, with sharp claws, were covered in her foxfire as it spread down the long neck. He could see the grass nin trying to retract it's neck, but Naruto's grip on it was too strong. Her eyes were red with slit pupils, her hair wild and feral. Her canines were sharp and pointed, and her whisker marks were more pronounced. The fire reached the base of the neck and the neck fell off of the Grass Nin's body. Naruto ripped the teeth from her neck and rushed forward; grabbing the grass Nin as another head appeared. With glowing fingers, the grass Nin stabbed a seal onto Naruto's stomach. Naruto snarled but didn't let go. Sasuke's eyes slid closed at unconsciousness took him. Naruto formed a seal with one hand.

"Ku, ku, ku. I didn't think you'd be able to keep using Kyuubi's chakra after I put that seal on you. But whatever you're going to do won't work." The grass Nin told Naruto, who smiled grimly.

"Kyuubi no seal: Seal jutsu destruction no justsu!" Naruto barked out, the seal on her neck that the grass Nin had put there, glowing as the grass Nin screamed and glowed purple. Naruto winced at the pain from the curse seal. The purple glow vanished and the grass Nin sagged slightly.

"What did you do?" The Nin gasped. "I don't know that jutsu."

"It's a demonic jutsu that destroys the ability to use a specific seal jutsu. In this case, next time you try putting a curse seal on someone, the jutsu will backfire. You won't ever again use this seal, Orichimaru." The girl snarled.

"So you know who I am."

"I told you I was hunting." The snake sannin nodded before beginning to sink into the ground.

"Impressive. Maybe it's a good thing my last seal is on you. You might be very useful for my plans. Until next time Naruto-chan." With that the grass Nin sunk into the tree branch and vanished. Naruto dropped to her knees and cried out in pain, passing out and falling off the branch just as the rookie twelve who had been watching rushed out. Shikamaru caught her in mid-air while Neji gently took Sakura from the tree branch where she lay and the fox brought Sasuke down to the ground.

"We need to get them away from here before we try and do any healing or anything." Tenten said. They nodded and dashed off. Sasuke and Sakura were soon up and on their feet. But Naruto, the seal on her neck flashing and spinning, while the seal on her stomach pulsated with a red glow, was covered in sweat, pale and shaking. In her mindscape, her forest was burning as the curse seal attempted to destroy her memory. Racing into the clearing where her father and Kyuubi were, she found them unable to leave the cabin and den.

"Otousan! How do I stop this!" She cried out to him, pounding desperately on the cabin door. He called out to her but she couldn't hear. He closed his eyes.

_-"Ask the Nara boy to use his shadow to hold you while the Hyuuga closes your tenketsu spots. Then use the seal removal jutsu on yourself while pushing all your chakra through your system to burst open your tenketsu points. The fluctuation in your chakra should be enough for Kyuubi to break free. Loophole in seal."-_ Her father whispered to her through sheer strength of will before he collapsed.

"Otousan!" She screamed before racing from her mind. The Konoha twelve were surrounding her, watching her thrash when she suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes flashing between blue and red.

"Quick! Haven't got much time before curse seal wins." She groaned and grabbed her head. "Need favour."

"Anything." They told her as one. She forced her eyes open and held Shikamaru's gaze.

"Use your shadow to bind me to one spot." She ordered. Shikamaru's eyes widened but he did what she wanted. Her blue eyes turned to Neji.

"Close. All. Tenketsu points." She gasped out. Neji's eyes widened.

"I can't do that to you!" He told her as black wisps raised from the curse seal and started fighting Shikamaru's shadow.

"Have to. Need. Burst tenketsu points. Free Kyuubi's chakra."

"What?"

"Loophole in seal to keep Kyuubi in." She gasped slightly. "When I've got no chakra left, Kyuubi's is free to leave seal. Use it. To fight off Orichimaru's control." She groaned, her body bending backwards agonizingly slowly as Shikamaru fought to keep his shadow on her to control her body. Blood dribbled from her mouth and her eyes rolled back. "Please Neji." She whispered. Closing his eyes, Neji activated his Byakugen.

"64 palm strike." He stated sadly before Naruto's scream of pain filled the air as he closed off all her tenketsu points. They watched as she lay there, slumped and lifeless before blue wisps left her. The girls all cried and the boys just sighed, looking horribly lost. Her body shuddered and she clenched her eyes tightly shut, her jaw muscle tensing. They felt it as she shoved every ounce of chakra she had out of her body, forcing the tenketsu points to re-open. The scream of pain this time was silent as her body arched so high something in her back snapped her eyes wide open and unseeing. Red chakra gathered around her body, spilling out of the seal. She slumped back down to the ground, her eyes blank and unseeing. In her mind she stood before the snake that was burning down her mind.

"This is _my_ mind." She snarled. "And here _I_ am god!" With that she rushed the snake, tearing at it. The snake struggled to keep a hold in her mind, but Naruto was having none of it. The seal Orichimaru had crudely placed over the seal on her stomach shone and then vanished. Immediately, Minato and Kyuubi were behind her, adding their strength to the struggle. The snake hissed one last time in defiance before it was ripped apart. Her friends watched as the curse seal on her neck spun rapidly before glowing and falling apart, rising off of her neck like strands of silk, the black wisps moving sluggishly. Naruto left her mind and pointed at the black wisps tiredly. They burst into flame. She slumped back into unconsciousness, her body repairing the damage done to it. In her mindscape, her forest was healing rapidly. She came to a halt in front of her father's cabin. Kyuubi and Minato sat together, the blonde man leaning against the red head. They looked over at her as she dropped onto the log across from them, resting her head on her knees.

"You did well musume." Minato told her with a smile. She smiled tiredly back. Kyuubi grinned.

**"The loss of that jutsu will hurt Orichimaru more than he knows. I removed his ability to perform some other jutsus as well."** Naruto nodded tiredly. Her father smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Get some rest musume. Your friends are all worried about you. That Neji boy feels guilty for what you just had him do. Go reassure them that you're okay and put the boy's mind to ease. You did incredibly well against Orichimaru. There aren't many in the world who can say that who are living." She smiled at him, feeling a bit better now that her mind didn't feel so unhealthy. She hugged him as it finished healing and then hugged Kyuubi before fading from her mindscape. The demon fox stood and helped the blonde up.

**"Come on you. You need to sleep. That was a very dangerous thing you did, pushing yourself beyond the seal like that to give her instructions. You're going to need to sleep for at least a month. I'll let her know just as soon as you're in bed sleeping."** Minato muttered rebelliously but the let the other man lead him into the cabin and put him to bed. Naruto's eyes fluttered open and she found herself lying in a sleeping bag, her injuries bandaged. Kusachi, who had been on the head of one of the bigger fox's the entire time so that he didn't get hurt, was curled up next to her cheek. Other small fox Kits and small grown foxes were curled around her. She sat up carefully so as not to disturb the foxes and looked around. She was in the gap beneath three huge tree roots which were jutting out above the ground. She couldn't see a way to get into her little hollow, but sunlight streamed in through little gaps in the roots. Fast asleep, his back against the wall made by the roots was Sasuke. She leaned over and gently shook his knee. His black eyes snapped open and he looked at her for a long minute.

"We weren't sure you were going to make it." He told her. She smiled.

"Well unfortunately you're all stuck with me for a while longer yet." She said lightly, her voice hoarse and rough. She frowned at finding that she could barely talk above a whisper. He took a deep breath and hugged her. Naruto, not used to being hugged, least of all by Sasuke, who didn't touch people on principle, froze before hugging him back.

"Arigato. You saved my life." He told her, sitting back. She smiled as she eased herself back so that she was leaning against the wall of roots. Kusachi woke up and the little fox yipped at Naruto before jumping up and licking her face.

"That's what friends are for Sasuke." She told him after a minute's silence. He blinked at her before smiling.

"I'll go let the others know you're awake. We've been taking turns watching over you."

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked as he stood, head bowed so that he didn't knock it on the ceiling and paused.

"It's the fourth day. We have until tomorrow to get to the tower. Fortunately everyone had both of the scrolls they need. It shouldn't take us long to get to the tower once you're well enough to move." He answered before disappearing around a root. The other foxes woke up and were sniffing her and licking her and rolling all over her when Sasuke returned, followed by the rest of the Konoha Twelve. They all sat around her watching her. She looked them over silently, no expression on her face until they were all sitting and then a large grin spread across her face, crinkling her eyes adorably.

"Ohayo!" She told them in her hoarse whisper. Sakura burst in tears and threw herself at her. Naruto patted the crying girl's back and head as Sakura mumbled something about almost losing her two precious people in one day.

"Gomen Sakura." Naruto told her. "But I'm okay now really. And it's all thanks to you guys." She told them all before bowing slightly to Shikamaru and Neji. It was an awkward bow as Sakura was still hugging her middle, her face buried in the other girl's shoulder.

"Arigato to you both for your help." Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes smiling at her as a small smile flitted across his face. Neji frowned slightly and Naruto shook her head. "Now Neji please stop being unhappy with about what I asked you to do. I knew what I was asking you. I knew it would hurt. But it was the preferable option to being a slave to Orichimaru." She told the boy, reaching forward while still hugging Sakura to pat his knee. He smiled at her, his guilt easing. She coughed slightly and cleared her throat.

"Why is my voice all blehk?" She asked them.

"Probably broke your vocal cords screaming and they just haven't finished healing yet." Ino told her.

**"She's right. You'll be able talk again properly in a few days. By the way. That stunt your Otousan pulled in the cabin when he helped has put him in bed for a month okay? Don't get it into too much trouble or he'll never forgive me."** Her eyes re-focused on her friends after listening to Kyuubi.

"Gomen was talking to Kyuubi. He says I should be completely fine in a few days." She explained in answer to their questioning looks.

"Does he say when you'll be okay to walk? We need to get to the tower." Tenten reminded them all. The blonde gently untangled herself from Sakura, and tongue between her teeth crawled out of the sleeping bag and out of the little hollow, the rest of them following. She grabbed hold of the roots and pulled herself upright before taking a step forward and collapsing, her face a mask of pain. Luckily one of the large foxes who had been coming over to greet her, ducked under her and she landed across his back.

"Arigato." She told the fox, using him as a crutch as she slowly straightened up. When she could stand without falling over she let go of him. He stayed close just in case.

"We can wait a while longer if you want?" Tenten asked her worriedly. The blonde girl shook her head. "I think it's time to leave. Besides, I can walk." She took a step forward and cursed as she collapsed again, the fox rushing back to her side. She sighed. "Or, I can ask this big strong fine fox to carry me. But we should really get moving before those genin who are desperate for a scroll come calling."

"Too late." A voice said. They all turned to see three Oto genin watching them. Naruto sighed and whistled shrilly between her teeth. A large flock of birds in the trees took flight as a large group of foxes surrounded the three genin. The fox Naruto was leaning on carefully pushed her backwards as he raced off to encircle the genin with the other foxes. Naruto swung her arms widely trying to stay on balance. She was swung up into two pairs of arms in a chair style arrangement. She glanced at Lee on her left and Sasuke on her right.

"So embarrassing. Me, the fearsome Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, needing to be _carried_." She grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting cutely. She watched as Neji, Tenten, Sakura and Kiba joined the foxes. Sakura was cracking her knuckles threateningly.

"I met your leader earlier today." She snarled her green eyes glowing as she shook out her pink hair. The Oto genin looked surprised.

"Leader-sama was here? But why? He asked us to take care of the Uchiha so why?"

"Maybe he wanted the three of you to die but couldn't be stuffed killing you himself?" Sasuke called out to them from where he stood with Lee carrying Naruto. The three genin frowned.

"None the less, we have orders to kill you, so we shall follow those orders." One boy said and went to take a step forward. All three of the Oto genin began struggling to move, without success.

"Kagemane no jutsu. Success." Shikamaru said lazily from where he leaned against a tree behind two foxes, his hands in his pockets. Sakura grinned and leapt forward, slamming her fist into one of the Oto genin's heads, causing Shikamaru's head to slam backwards into the tree.

"Do you mind Sakura? My shadow does what their shadows do which means I do what my shadow does. Be careful about how you knock them around." The lazy genius said, glaring at Sakura slightly. Naruto grinned.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. Neji stepped forward and with precision accuracy, closed off various tenketsu on the Oto genins bodies, while Tenten stuffed the holes of their weapon thingies that none of them could name, with kunai, shuriken and senbon, humming as she went. One they were done, Shikamaru disengaged his shadow and the three Oto genin fell over backwards, unable to stand.

"My heroes." Naruto told them all with a cheeky grin. They shook their heads at her and placed her on the fox, who told her he would carry her part of the way.

"Why won't he carry you all the way?" Hinata asked shyly. Naruto tilted her head as she listened to his reply.

"He says that he does not want to stray too far from his mate and Kits should they need him. Since the death of Lord Kyuubi's mate and kits and Kyuubi's capture, the foxes have been very hesitant to leave their mates and kits. They think 'if it can happen to him, the strongest of us then it can happen to any of us'." She explained her blue eyes sad as she listened. "He also says that the closer to the tower you get, the more people you find, and foxes have not been very well treated by humans the past 13 years. He would like avoid any meetings with humans if possible." She listened again and grinned. "Apart from me. He says I am welcome back any time. He says seeing as how the eleven of you haven't hit him or thrown things at him, you're welcome back too." She grinned at the others who all smiled and bowed to the fox Naruto was sitting on. Their stuff all packed, the twelve of them set off, the foxes surrounding them. They talked quietly as they went, although Naruto remained quiet, not saying much. She was slowly going pale in colour. Kusachi yipped at her. She ignored the Kit. Kusachi leapt down from her shoulder to the larger fox's head. He turned and yipped to the other fox, who came to a halt. The others turned around when they'd got ahead. Kusachi kept yipping at Naruto. She glared at the Kit.

"I'm fine." She hissed at him quietly. He yipped and tugged at her clothes his teeth. The others came back and Sakura rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked as the colour drained from Naruto's face.

"Nothing." The blonde ground out between her teeth. "Kusachi's just being silly." Hinata, from behind the others, activated her Byakugen. She gasped and de-activated her Byakugen before rushing over to Naruto.

"Naruto what's wrong with your spine?" She gushed. Sakura removed her hand from Naruto's shoulder and the girl sighed in relief.

"Wait didn't something in your back snap when you were fighting off the curse seal? Why hasn't it healed yet?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto shook her head.

"Yer it snapped. It is healing, it's just Kyuubi's uh… busy at the moment so it's taking him longer to heal it then it normally would." She responded before glaring at Kusachi. "My spine will be fine by the time we get to the tower. There's no way to make it hurt less while it heals so leave it alone please Kusachi." She told the little fox kit that whined and rubbed his head against her knee. She reached out gently with her fingers and rubbed his ears before glancing at her friends.

"Well get a move on." She told them a little snappily. "I'll be fine once it's healed. Don't fuss over me." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yes miss snappy. Are you sure you're not coming into your heat?"

"Her what?" Neji asked almost falling out of a tree. Sasuke grinned while Naruto hung her head low.

"She has her monthly one week a month and then two weeks later she spends a day in heat. In other words as horny and irritated as can be." Sakura explained. Her friends blinked at her in surprise.

Naruto mumbled something along the lines of 'Baka foxes mating time of the month.' Kiba heard her and laughed.

"My clan gets something like that. Our women go into a heat just like that every few months and that's when we guys go into a special heat to compensate. But I've never known anyone to have it happen once a month. A fox's and a dog's heat must be different. Is it just for one day of that week or?" He asked. She nodded mutely, her cheeks as red as tomatoes.

"What do you do?" he asked her slyly with a wink. She snorted.

"I come out here for the day and barricade myself in a tree or I lock myself in my basement and I don't come out for the day." She explained.

"Are you going into heat?" She shook her head vigorously, her cheeks reddening even further.

"She had it last week." Sakura told them all. Naruto glared at her.

"Thank you Sakura. I really enjoy having people know these things." She said frostily.

"Well if you're not on heat why are you so snappy?" Sasuke asked curiously. Naruto turned her icy blue eyes on him.

"I currently have a chunk of bone _moving_ around in my spine." She said with her eye twitching. The others winced.

"Okay. You're allowed to be snappy." Sasuke told her quickly. Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome." Was his addition to the conversation. Soon afterwards, the large fox came to a gentle stop and yipped gently at Naruto who un-gracefully let herself slide off him and slump to the floor. The male fox rubbed his face up against hers, licked her face, yipped at the rest of them and then turned and vanished, Kusachi jumping onto Shikamaru's shoulder as the big fox went past the lazy boy. Naruto sat for a moment, taking deep breaths and pushing the pain down.

**"Sorry Kit. It should be healed soon. I think that the spinal break is the worst of the injuries."** Kyuubi was apologetic as his chakra soothed over her spine, trying to speed up the healing process. She was picked up and slung gently over someone's shoulder. Her vision went black and she hung limply off of them as she fell unconscious. Sasuke shifted her gently onto his back and pulled her arms over his shoulders before gently holding under her knees. He was glad she'd fallen unconscious. The ride would not be a pleasant one.

"We boys will take turns to carry her so that one of us doesn't have to carry her the entire way." Neji said calmly. The boys all nodded and the girls agreed, knowing that Neji wasn't being sexist; he simply meant that the boys would have less difficulty the unconscious Jinchuuriki.

"It's a good thing she's unconscious." Chouji commented as they started off again. "Otherwise she'd be screaming about now. Being carried pig-a-back while your spine's doing funny things would not be nice." The others nodded. Neji, who had carried her after Sasuke, was just passing her onto Lee when Shuriken flew at them from everywhere. Naruto fell from Neji's fingers, only to be caught be a gust of wind that carried her gently out of harm's way. Neji and Lee, furious that someone had made them drop their friend, tore through the unlucky Nin who had thought the three would be an easy kill. The group had taken to moving in pairs of three with a gap between them so as to make enemies think they weren't together. Once the enemy Nin were dead, Lee picked Naruto up gently and put her on his back. Shikamaru was carrying her when they entered the tower. They worked out the puzzle of the scrolls, and Iruka, Sarutobi and a group of ANBU appeared, along with Tsunade. They raced towards the group and Tsunade went to pull Naruto of Shikamaru's back but the group of genin closed up around Shikamaru, whose grip on Naruto tightened.

"What are you doing? I've got to check her over for any injuries!"

"Gently sensei. Her spine's damaged and fixing itself. We'll let you look at her as long as you promise to be gentle." Sakura told the woman firmly. The adults looked at the children, noting the protective stance they took around Naruto and the determination in their eyes and Sarutobi smiled. Tsunade nodded and the children split apart, Shikamaru turning so the she could take the girl. The children all watched her carefully. She bumped Naruto's elbow accidentally and Kusachi snarled, baring his little teeth at her.

"Her elbow's broken." Shikamaru informed her frostily, his eyes narrowing. Tsunade moved her hand, using Kusachi to check for any injuries. Once Naruto was lying down Tsunade activated a healing jutsu and went over the girl's injuries. Once done she nodded up at the children and the boys picked her up, handing her to Shikamaru.

"Why am I carrying her again?" He asked, frowning.

"Because."

"Because why?" The lazy boy asked exasperatedly.

"Kusachi will want to be with his Kaasan and Otousan." Sakura told him with a wink. Shikamaru's eye twitched as Kusachi licked his face before nuzzling against Naruto's hair. Everyone laughed as the fox kit yipped at Shikamaru and rubbed up against his face.

"Alright, alright Kusachi I'll carry her." Shikamaru gave in and shifted the unconscious girl in his grip, lifting her up higher and shifting her so that she was being carried bridal style with her head on his shoulder. Kusachi yipped at Shikamaru again with his little fluffy plumed tail wagging. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Troublesome." He muttered rebelliously before turning to the adults. "So do you have a bed anywhere where she can rest or do I carry her until she wakes up?" The Nara boy asked. There were more chuckles.

"Son? Is that a girl in your arms? Is my little boy getting laid? Wait until your mother hears!" Shikaku Nara walked around the corner at that moment.

"OTOUSAN!" Shikamaru could have sunk into the floor.

"Is that Naruto? I didn't realise you liked blondes." Shikaku grinned at his son. Shikamaru glared.

"Why are you my Otousan? She's just been healed and I'm going to go put her in a bed. I am _not_ getting laid. I'm 13 for Kami's sake!" The boy told his father with a frown.

"Now Shika. You are never too young to get laid." Shikaku told his son whose eye started twitching as a vein popped in his forehead.

"Otousan are you drunk? If you are I'm telling Kaasan, and then we'll see how well _you_ get laid when you're sleeping on the couch at Chouji's place again." The young boy threatened his father who blanched.

"Fine, fine, if you don't want to tell me about you getting laid then don't." Shikaku shrugged.

"You wouldn't mind if your son was with Naruto?" Sarutobi asked. Another vein popped in Shikamaru's head as the other children snickered.

"Mind? Of course not! Why would I mind?" Shikaku asked, blinking past his drunk haze.

"Kyuubi?" Asked one of the ANBU. Sarutobi glared at him. Shikaku shook his head.

"Nah. Kid's not the Kyuubi, just the container. Asides, she's going to be one of the prettiest girls in this village when she grows up, and I want my Shika with a woman who won't mind his laziness." Shikaku said. His son sighed.

"This way Shikamaru." Tsunade told the boy, fighting back a grin.

"Good luck Shika!" Shikaku called. They watched as his son froze.

"For the last time Otousan I'm too young to get laid! Now either get to bed and sleep off your drunkenness, or I am going to tell Kaasan that you were drunk on _duty_." Shikaku went white and turned to the Hokage.

"Have you got someplace I can go to take a nap?" The Hokage laughed.

(Author's note: Wretched Yuri: Again, like the last chapter, this one isn't overly long. But the next three or so chapters will be, as they are important to the story and filled with much action and bad guy bum kicking by the Konoha 12! (Not even joking. I'm seriously giving you a hint here.) I'm actually rather proud of this fanfiction, it's one of the longest I've written so far. I have another that I'm going to start uploading soon, so keep an eye out for that one too! Until chapter 8, which if you're very lucky will be uploaded saturday afternoon or sunday sometime!)


	9. Chapter 8

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Do you see this?! Chapter 8! I am updating twice in one week! (Only because I'm overtired and can't fall asleep, and I'm not allowed to move from my bed for a little while, yay for possible fractured foot!) But this is chapter 8, obviously, and I hope you like what I did here with the action scenes. I'm not the best at action scenes, I'll admit, and it's come to my attention that there's not really all that much fighting and action in this story at all, and I apologise for that. I've concentrated on the emotional connection between Naruto and everyone around her. So again, my apologies, anyway, please enjoy chapter 8!)

**Chapter 8**

The next morning the rookie twelve were sitting at one of the tables in the huge kitchen when Tsunade entered the room.

"She's awake." The eleven of them left the table at once, rushing down the hall to the room Naruto had been put in. They peeked around the door to an amusing sight.

"I hate tomatoes Oji-kun!"

"Tomatoes are good for you Naruto. They'll help your bones heal."

"Why can't I have the pancakes that Iruka-Oniisan made me?"

"Because you have to eat your tomato on toast first." Naruto was sitting up in bed, arms crossed as she glared at the plate on which sat tomato on toast. Kakashi stood on the other side of the bed, arms crossed as he glared at the girl he thought of as his niece. Naruto glared at Kakashi before eating the toast in five quick bites. The faces of disgust that she pulled at having to eat the tomatoes were the best her friends had ever seen. As soon as she was done, Kakashi, shaking his head, produced a plate of pancakes and gave it to the now grinning Naruto. He stole a pancake and ran past the other children, winking at them as she threw stuff at his retreating back.

"Oji-kun! You've already had some of Iruka-sensei's pancakes! Don't try and steal my breakfast!" The girl yelled after him before she noticed the others.

"Ohayo guys! Come in!" She called to them with a grin. They smiled and entered. They all took seats around her as she ate the pancakes, watching her in amusement.

"You're feeling better are you?" Hinata asked as she sat down. Naruto nodded as she stuffed her face with pancakes, drizzling honey and butter over them.

"Mhm. Baa-chan says I'm all healed. Gah you guys _have_ to get Iruka-Oniisan to make you pancakes sometime. He makes the best pancakes." She waved her fork around as she talked, her face all smiles apart from when her mouth was closed so she could chew.

"Why was Kakashi having them for breakfast?" Ino asked curiously.

"Hmm? Oh Kakai-sensei isn't very good at cooking, so Iruka feeds him. Otherwise he'd starve." The girl explained with a grin. "I heard you had some trouble with your Otousan, Shikamaru." The boy blushed and mumbled something. She grinned at him.

"Don't worry boyo. Any marriage proposals he writes up come straight to me as the head of my clan." She waved a pile of paper at them.

"Can you believe that not only do I have a request for marriage from the head of the Nara clan to his only son but from other people as well?" Shikamaru groaned and Naruto grinned at him. "Don't worry. I'd never agree to his terms. I think he was a bit drunk when he wrote this up." She pulled out a select piece of paper and started reading.

"I, Nara Shikaku, am willing to marry my son Shikamaru into the Namikaze family. He will take on the Namikaze name and standing."

"What's so weird about that? The Namikaze were a higher ranked clan than the Nara's are." Neji asked. Naruto held up a hand and continued reading.

"I also promise to her, ten prize stags from the Nara deer herd, thirty does, a million dollars, thirty chickens, a bottle of the best sake money can buy, and there's something in here about a pony?" The girl finished with a grin as Shikamaru started head-butting the bed.

"I almost said yes to this one just for the pony." She told him with a wink before she put it back in the pile of papers. She leafed through the papers.

"There's a marriage proposal from the Nara's, the _Hyuuga's_ for their prize branch member." Neji choked. "There are about ten other proposals here. The only two that I _know_ are the Hyuuga and Nara." She threw the papers over her shoulder and kept eating her pancakes.

"Why do they want you to marry their kids all of a sudden?" Tenten asked with a laugh. Naruto shrugged.

"Something about if I was against Orichimaru then I must be an okay person and not a demon." She snorted and rolled her eyes before continuing. "Also something about that I'm a girl and the only living member of a very wealthy clan, who as you mentioned earlier Neji are a very high ranking clan in the village." She shrugged slightly.

"Are you going to agree to any of them?" She choked on her food.

"Are you kidding? I have no time for marriages or boys or anything like that! I have to train! Besides, I am 13 years old. Do you know what they expect you to do after these marriages? Have children. That's right have _children._ No offense, but I don't think I want kids at the age of 13. Besides, uh, yer you know, uh… I am _not_ having sex just yet thank you." The blonde finished firmly as she ate the last of her pancakes. She pointed to Sasuke.

"Why do you think he hasn't agreed to any of the marriage proposals the council throws at him? He doesn't want to have kids at the age of 13." Sasuke nodded his agreement. Naruto shook her head and put the plate aside before jumping out of bed.

"Look no falling over this time." The blonde girl grinned at them.

"Naruto why don't you have time for boys? Every other girl our age does. Even Tenten and Hinata are interested in someone. So why not you? It's just, well not very girly." Naruto shrugged.

"What's so girly about it? I can be girly. I'll have you know that just recently I had flowers in my hair and I was wearing a dress. That's right. I was wearing a dress." The blonde had yet to realise that she was in a night gown. She shrugged and grabbed a hair brush, running it through her long hair over one shoulder. "I'm just not boy mad I guess." She said before looking down. She blinked.

"These aren't my pyjamas." She said absently. She looked up at her friends and back down at her long tanned legs.

"Why am I in a night gown? I don't own any night gowns." The girl said, looking down at her legs as she wriggled her feet. She blinked again and dove around the room throwing stuff everywhere.

"What are you looking for?" The others laughed as stuff went flying everywhere.

"My clothes obviously." There was a cough and she turned to find the others pointing at the neat pile of clothing sitting on a chair in a corner. A sheepish blush crossed her face as she rubbed the back of her head. Then she cleared her throat and pointed at the door with a raised eyebrow. The others got the hint and left the room. Five minutes later the door opened and Naruto came skipping out of the room.

"Okay. Why are you in such a good mood?" She got asked. She grinned.

"I just found out something exciting." She said with a grin.

"What?" Her grin faltered and her face went kind of sad.

"Well what's the good news?" Sakura asked laughing. Naruto frowned and looked away, wringing her hands together.

"You're going away aren't you?" Shikamaru asked. She nodded.

"Well that's good isn't it?" He asked her. Her frown deepened.

"Well I thought so. Now I'm thinking maybe not."

"How long are you going away for?"

"3 years." Silence met her words.

"Who with?" Shikamaru asked at last.

"Ero-sennin." She said at last.

"Well that's great!" He told her with a smile. "You'll learn heaps from him. It's only three years Naruto." She smiled.

"Yer I guess. Thanks Shikamaru." She grinned at him.

"When do you leave?"

"As soon as the Chunin exams finish."

"Wait what? Why so soon?" Sakura gasped. Naruto fidgeted and frowned.

"There's this uh, organisation made up of the S-class criminals and they're after the Jinchuuriki's of the Bijuu for some reason. So, I need to be able to protect myself against something of up to 12 S-class criminals at one time." The girl explained with a sigh.

"Isn't anything in your life ever simple?" Chouji asked her. A small smile slipped across her face.

"I don't know Chouji."

"Will you write to us?"

"Whenever I can."

"Well then. As long as you stay alive and come home in one piece we'll forgive you for going away for three years." Sakura promised her. The blonde hugged her impulsively, her broad grin back on her face.

"Come on! We have some Chunin vests to get!" She told them. They arrived in a large arena just as everyone else did.

"Take your place with your team up in the stands please. As there are so many of you who have passed, we're going to run preliminary matches." Everyone sorted themselves out into teams and the board above started flashing.

**First Match: Uchiha Sasuke vs (that weird guy on Kabuto's team who takes your chakra)**

Both Sasuke and the strange guy with a weird face mask dropped to the floor. Naruto and Sakura were leaning over the railing yelling at Sasuke to do his best and show that guy whose boss! A sick looking man who was always coughing who had introduced himself as 'Hayate' and told them he was the proctor for the preliminaries told them to begin. Sasuke instantly started in with taijutsu. He was a member of a 'heavy assault' team after all. Team Seven were practically _all_ taijutsu specialists in their own right. Everyone was watching the fight as Sasuke started losing while Naruto looked at the proctor again. She started sniffing for his scent and when she found it her eyebrows rose.

"Sensei why does that man fake being sick?" She asked Kakashi quietly who glanced at Hayate.

"His enemies underestimate him because they think he's weak due to sickness." He explained before looking at Sasuke. "Your teammate's losing." Naruto's head snapped back to the fight to see that what Kakashi was saying was right. She leant over the railing again.

"Oi Sasuke-teme! Is that how you want to be remembered? As the Baka that gets beaten by a girl and can't even get past the preliminaries?!" She yelled at him. His attacks started getting more ferocious. Everyone smiled as Naruto encouraged him in her own way but Naruto had one more card up her sleeve. She waited until he started to falter again and then leaned over and yelled _very_ clearly, so that _everyone_ could hear.

"So much for the _Uchiha_ clan. They can't have been that strong if wittle Sasuke-kun can't fight! What's the matter Sasuke? Where's your _Uchiha_ pride huh?" The young boy's back went ramrod straight and then his opponent was a limp pile of bones on the floor and Sasuke was holding his teammate up, glaring at her. She grinned and pointed behind him. He turned and looked down at his opponent, blinking.

"Winner of the first match: Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke put Naruto down, blinking in shock. He'd thought he'd been a goner. Naruto patted his shoulder in a comforting matter, hiding her grin. The board started flashing again. Naruto tuned out the fights between people she didn't know.

"Naruto! Are you going to stand there forever or are we going to fight?" Kiba called from the floor of the arena. She looked at him and then the board.

"I'm fighting Kiba?" He nodded and pointed at the floor across from her. She pulled Kusachi from where he was asleep on her head and tried to give her to Kakashi but the fox kit bit her and jumped back up on her head. He yipped at her sharply.

"You want to help Kusachi? What if you get hurt?" The kit yipped again and Naruto sighed before jumping over the railing. Kiba grinned at her, as did Akamaru. Kusachi did a little dance on Naruto's head with excitement. Kiba slid into his family stance while Naruto, quickly thinking about what she knew of Kiba's family jutsus, decided to just use all of the taijutsu style she knew, flowing them into one. The man Hayate stepped forward.

"Begin." Naruto and Kiba stood stock still, eyes locked together as they both slowly sank into a crouch.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a fight between dog and fox to see which canine is on the top of the food chain?" Shikamaru asked with a yawn. Akamaru barked at Kusachi who yipped back, baring his little teeth. The two genin circled each other slowly and carefully. Kiba started to change, his teeth and nails and hair growing longer and more feral.

"Naruto, I've got an idea. Unleash some of your foxy side and we'll see which canine's got what it takes." Kiba told her with a slight lisp because of his canines. The girl grinned and everyone watched as her canines grew, as did her nails. Her whisker marks deepened, and the pupils of her eyes changed to become slit. Her long hair became jagged and feral. The two of them stood still again. You could see Naruto's muscles tightening before they loosened. Kiba dove at her suddenly, but the girl reacted faster than the boy would have thought, rolling under his attack and aiming her kick a the side of his back before rolling away and coming back up to her feet.

"Sorry Kiba, can't keep the foxiness up." She apologised with a small smile as the foxy qualities vanished again. "You-know-who gets all riled up." She grinned. Kiba nodded his understanding before he and Akamaru started coming at her like bullets. Kusachi had gotten himself hurt so she flipped up to the top of the huge hands statue and gently put him down. Red chakra was visibly running across her skin. Kyuubi took one of his kind being injured very badly. She clamped her jaw tight and forced Kyuubi back, the red vanishing from her skin. Kakashi, realising that she was never going to get a hit in if she kept on the way she was, thought of something to tell her to help.

"Well, looks as if your student isn't as good as everyone thinks." Kurenai, Kiba's sensei said. Kakashi glanced at her before his attention was caught by Gai and Lee. Or more importantly, the weights around their legs hidden by the leg warmers. He leaned over the railing towards Naruto.

"Naruto! Weight seals!" He called out to her. She grinned and ran through a sequence of seals.

"Kai." She instantly dropped like a noodle, going limp. She tried jumping and almost brained herself on the roof.

"Kakai-sensei! I'm not used to fighting without the weights on!"

"So improvise!" He yelled at his student. Sasuke and Sakura joined in.

"Don't you lose dobe!"

"Come on Naruto! Show Kiba who's boss!" Naruto jumped again, lightly and found that her new speed maybe wasn't too bad after all. She grinned at Kiba and he launched himself at the statue as a bullet again. She cursed and jumped.

"Shunshin no jutsu." With that she vanished. Kiba landed and spun back and a foot connected with his face. He dropped the bullet technique and went for her using the Inuzuka taijutsu style. Everyone discovered that it was an interesting match to watch. Both Kiba and Naruto had heightened senses that rivalled the others, but beat most other peoples in the room. So Kiba would swing a hit and Naruto would hear it coming and dodge. They traded kicks and blows across the arena floor.

"Well Kiba can keep up with her speed." Kurenai said hopefully. Kakashi said nothing. Lee answered.

"No he can't." Kurenai turned to the boy. "Naruto's holding back to make it fair on Kiba." The boy explained. Naruto had obviously had enough as she back flipped away from the boy and came to a halt.

"Kiba you will forgive me for what I'm about to do won't you?" The boy grinned at her and nodded. He'd known from the beginning that she was going to win, but he appreciated the fact that she'd made it so that their fight went for long enough that everyone thought Kiba must be tough. Naruto eyes locked on Kiba and she back flipped another few feet. She took a deep breath and raised one hand. Everyone went silent and watched. She clicked her fingers. Kiba burst into pretty blue and purple flames. He screamed once and was unconscious. She clicked her fingers again and the flames vanished. The medics came in, carrying Kiba out. She was relieved to find that she hadn't burnt him at all. The shock of the heat and sudden proximity of the flames had caused him to scream and faint.

"Winner: Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto." Team seven cheered, as did the other teams. Hinata shyly held out a tub of healing cream to Naruto as the girl went past her. Naruto took it with a heartfelt thanks and a grin. She sat down against the wall and started smearing the lotion on her cuts bruises and mild burns. Shikamaru and Chouji dropped down on either side of her.

"You let him do that." Shikamaru told her. She nodded.

"Why did Hinata give you lotion if she knows how quickly you heal?" Chouji asked, watching as Hinata took a tub of lotion down to the unconscious boy as he was being carried out.

"To be nice." The girl explained to Chouji who nodded. Shikamaru whistled. Chouji and Naruto looked at the board.

"Neji vs. Hinata. Head family against Branch family." Naruto whispered. "This should be interesting."

"Do you think Neji will lose control and try to kill her or something?" Chouji asked as he ate. Naruto shook her head.

"No I don't think so. Since meeting us rookie nine he's become more relaxed. He's changed slightly for the better. He's not as cold and doesn't have his 'stick of fate' up his bum anymore. Also he sees how Hinata's treated at home now. He doesn't just ignore it. He actually pays attention to how their family treats her." Naruto told them as she watched the fight. One thing to be said about the Gentle Fist taijutsu style, it was very pretty.

"Who's going to win?" Ino asked joining them.

"Neji." Naruto and Shikamaru said together.

"Much as I admire Hinata's determination to change herself, something she's succeeding in, she's not quite there yet, at least against Neji. The difference in their chakra capacities is too great at the moment and that's what Gentle Fist requires. Chakra." Naruto yawned as Shikamaru turned to her slightly. "What?"

"And you say I'm a genius. Are you sure you're not hiding a master IQ somewhere in that head?" She grinned.

"There's two master IQ's in my head." Her face froze and she cleared her throat before continuing. None of the others had noticed her slip, but Shikamaru had noted the way that Kakashi froze slightly.

_There's someone else in the seal._ The lazy genius realised, thinking back to the cabin in her mindscape. _I wonder who._

"But I train with Hinata in the afternoons and Neji in the mornings so I _know_ the differences between them." She finished explaining, avoiding Shikamaru's gaze.

**"That boy is smart."**

_Yer too smart._

Naruto had gone to sleep, bored with the fights when Kakashi woke her up because Sakura was in trouble. Ino had used her mind swap jutsu on her. Naruto leaned over the balcony railing and took a deep breath. Everyone close to her covered their ears.

"SSSAAKKUURRRAA-CCCHHAANN! Are you going to let Ino beat you! What about Sasuke! How can you make Sasuke notice you if you lose!" She yelled at the girl.

"It's no use Naruto she'-…"

**"Baka Naruto. Oi. Ino-pig. Get out of my head. Or I will kill you!"** Ino was pushed forcefully from Sakura's head by inner Sakura.

"You have an inner you?" Ino asked with a gasp. Sakura nodded.

"That's right Ino-pig. Now, to steal a leaf from Naruto's book, LET'S GET WILD!" The pink haired girl, yelled, pulling out a kunai and rushing her opponent.

**"SHANNARO!"** Inner Sakura yelled. Both girls ended up knocked out. Naruto almost fell over laughing. Then it was Chouji's turn against one of the Oto genin and he came back up unconscious just as Ino and Sakura regained consciousness. Tenten went against Temari and lost. Lee went against Gaara and lost, although Gaara didn't damage his arm or leg, simply picked him up with his sand and bashed him against the wall, effectively knocking Lee out. Shino won against the Oto genin that he went against. Then it was Shikamaru's turn against a girl. He went to the railing.

"Proctor I –ugh.." Naruto and Ino crept up behind him and at the same time, lifted a foot and pushed the lazy boy over the railing into the arena. He lay there on the floor, his eye twitching at them. He'd rolled in mid-air so that he landed on his back. "Troublesome." He sighed before glaring at the two grinning girls.

"Ino what was that for?" He called up to his teammate.

"No quitting!" She berated him. He sighed again and turned his attention to Naruto.

"Well what's your excuse?" She shrugged.

"I'm not letting one of my friends give up. Besides did you ever think that if you make it to Chunin you'll have more time to sleep?" Shikamaru looked at her for a moment, considering. He tipped his head back and looked at the Oto genin, a girl, before looking back up at the two girls.

"Do I have to?" he groused. Naruto raised an eyebrow before turning away slightly and conferring with Chouji.

"If you do this and win I'll show you a good cloud watching spot. One that's better than the cloud watching spot you have now." She told him with a grin. Shikamaru's eyes brightened. He did like to watch clouds. He tilted his head back and sighed before rolling over and pushing himself to his feet.

"How did you get him to do that?" Asuma asked as his cigarette fell from his mouth. "I've been trying to get him motivated and interested since the teams were formed, but it's impossible."

"It's easy. Just tell him you'll let him sleep or be lazy without disturbing him for a certain amount of time and he'll get interested." Naruto told the Jounin with a grin. Shikamaru won by having the girl knock herself out on the wall behind her before slowly and lazily making his way back up the stairs. He yawned. Chouji and Naruto rolled their eyes at each other as the lazy boy sprawled on the ground between the two and fell asleep. When the last of the matches were finished, Naruto pushed his shoulder gently, waking him up. He grumbled but followed her and the other winners down to the arena floor. Hayate went around with a little box getting them to draw a number out. Sarutobi stepped forward.

"Well done all of you. Now you have one month's time to rest and prepare yourself for the main matches. Do yourself and your village proud." He looked over the young ones with pride, noting with pleasure that five of the young ones in front of him were from Konoha. In all, he noted there were 5 Konoha genin, 3 Suna genin and 1 Oto genin. _We've done well this year_, Sarutobi thought with pride. He also noted that two of the nine present were female, both of them worthy representatives of their gender. Once he'd finished explaining, Naruto turned to Kakashi and held up a hand before he could speak.

"You're going to train Sasuke because the council wants you to." The other genin watched as the girl and sensei talked.

"Are you okay with that?" Kakashi asked. The girl nodded.

"Sure. I'm going to go find Ero-sennin and bully him into teaching me for the month." She told her sensei with a grin. Kakashi shook his head at her with an eye smile before grabbing Sasuke and leaving.

"No bullying needed Gaki, I'm right here." They all turned to see a tall broad man with white hair looking at them. Naruto grinned at him.

"Is this the guy you're going away with?" Chouji asked curiously. Naruto nodded. Jiraiya grinned at the other genin.

"I am the famous toad hermit, Jiraiya of the sannin." He informed them, doing a weird dance and then having a toad appear under him. Naruto shook her head.

"More like the infamous perverted hermit, Jiraiya of the Ero-sennin." The girl told him dryly. His attention turned to Temari, the girl from Suna and he began taking her measurements from the distance he was at after dispelling the toad. Temari's eye twitched. Naruto sighed and went back to Jiraiya, grabbing him by the ear.

"Come on Ero-sensei. I'm facing Neji in the finals. You can peep later. Now you've got me to train." Jiraiya looked over Neji and turned to his student.

"Do you think it's time to work on _that_?" She nodded and Jiraiya thought for a minute.

"Take today off kid. Meet me at our usual spot tomorrow. Drop all of your other training. But take the rest of today off and rest. Eat your favourite food, talk to the person you love." Naruto rolled her eyes and finished what the man was saying as he said it. "Say your goodbyes and farewells because you may not come back from this alive." The man looked at his student, slightly annoyed.

She grinned at him and he shook his head with a smile. "So, our usual spot tomorrow. Don't be late." He vanished.

"Neh Naruto." Chouji called out to her, running over and slipping his arm though hers. "We're going to have some all you can eat barbeque to celebrate Shikamaru's win. You want to come?" She grinned at him.

"I'd love to, but wouldn't that sort of make it hard for you to discuss training strategies for him." Shikamaru shook his head.

"I doubt I'll be facing you in the finals. I'd have to face Gaara before I face you, and if I face him I might just forfeit." The lazy boy said, throwing a glance at the red haired boy from Suna. So Naruto had all you can eat barbeque with team ten, and much to Asuma's delight she told him she'd pay half of the cheque.

"How can you do that?" Ino asked. Naruto swallowed her mouthful of food before answering.

"Head of Namikaze clan remember? I have enough money all of a sudden that I don't ever need to work again." The girl explained. She and Ino gossiped while the boys and Asuma worked out strategies.

"So Naruto, seeing as you're not going to face Shikamaru in the finals, mind telling us what your training plans are?" Asuma asked with a grin. He was always interested in what Naruto was getting up to, having known her since forever.

"Well firstly I'm going to bully Ero-sennin into letting me sign the summoning contract for toads and then I'm going to work on my speed. As you saw, I can do Shunshin now, but against Neji that won't be enough, so I'm going to get to the next step by the end of the month."

"Next step?" Ino asked. Asuma nodded and explained while Naruto ate.

"Shunshin no jutsu was something that Yondaime created. It's very well-known now, and most villages can use it, but there's another, more advanced version that only Yondaime, and now Naruto, can use because it involves their bloodline ability."

"You have a Kekkei Genkai?" Ino asked the girl. She waved her hands.

"Not really. It's sort of more like your mind techniques, Shikamaru's shadow techniques and Chouji's enlargement techniques."

"Is it that fire that you used on Kiba without any jutsu?" Chouji asked. Naruto shook her head.

"No that was called Foxfire. Because Kyuubi is the lord of fire, I can't use Katon jutsus at all. What I can use is Foxfire. It's a fire that only Kyuubi, and now I, can use. It's pure demon fire." The girl told them, clicking her fingers and letting a little blue flame dance across her hand. "Because it's demon fire, and I'm more or less a Hanyou thanks to Kyuubi." Ino gasped. "I can control this fire without even thinking about it. But no, my family ability is different to that. I'm a wind user like Asuma-sensei, only my affinity with the wind is sentient like Gaara's sand." Shikamaru nodded.

"So what's this advanced version of the Shunshin that only you can do?" Naruto grinned.

"The jutsu that made my father famous and gave him his nickname. The Hiraishin no jutsu." All three of her friend's eyes widened. She grinned at them and went back to eating. Ino thought quietly.

"Uh, Naruto?" She asked quietly. The other girl looked up at her. "What did you mean about being a Hanyou?" Ino asked fearfully. They watched as Naruto, noting Ino's fears tensed slightly and her eyes became guarded.

"Kyuubi has been a part of me from the moment I was born." She said quietly. "The way the seal is designed, I absorb small parts of Kyuubi every year, merging with him slightly. Because of that, I'm not." She broke off before continuing. "I'm not fully human anymore. I'm something like one of a sixteenth part demon." Ino nodded quietly. Naruto kept eating, but her muscles were tense as she waited for her friend to tell her to stay away and never come near her again. Chouji shrugged from his spot next to Naruto as he ate at the same pace as her.

"I don't care if you're human, demon or both. I've known you since we were kids and you're still one of the nicest people I know." The chubby boy told her as he stuffed his face. Naruto smiled fondly at Chouji.

"Arigato Chouji." The boy nodded at her before a mini war broke out between him and Naruto over the last piece of steak. Eventually they halved it.

"Troublesome, but like Chouji said, you are one of the nicest people." Shikamaru said, his dark gaze catching Naruto's. "Besides, you've saved my life enough times that it would take me my entire lifespan to make up for what I owe you." The lazy boy told her. She smiled at him too, feeling warm inside. Chouji and Shikamaru, and even Kiba, had always stuck by her, even if they weren't as close as they had been as kids when they thought she was a boy. Ino hit her forehead.

"Gomen Naruto. I've been stupid, thinking that you being part demon changes everything." The Yamanaka girl told her honestly. "I've been in your mind so I know you not evil, and my father's checked your mental state every year of your life and if he trusts you then obviously it's for a reason. Can you ever forgive me?" Ino asked quietly. Naruto leaned around the table and hugged the girl slightly.

"There's nothing to forgive you for Ino. You haven't don't anything wrong." The Namikaze girl told her with sparkling blue eyes. Ino grinned shyly at the girl before Naruto stole the piece of steak that Chouji had been about to grab with his chopsticks and war broke out between the two. Shikamaru and Ino were reduced to tears laughing, watching Chouji and Naruto fight over the food and Asuma watched with a smile. It never ceased to amaze him the way that Naruto brought out the best in people.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Well there is chapter eight for you! I hope you enjoyed it! Also if you could, I forgot to mention it at the end of chapter seven, but if you could leave me reviews on your thoughts about my take on the first and second tests of the Chunin exam? I'm curious to know what you think about my version of my events! Anyway, I will probably upload chapter 9 on Tuesday (my next day off after tomorrow) So until then!)


	10. Chapter 9

****(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Look guys! It's Tuesday and I am updating! [Does little dance] So this chapter is a fairly long one, roughly 6,000 words I reckon, but I did say that the next few chapters after chapter 8 would be fairly long! So I've been going through my stash of fanfics I've written (I have whole folders of them) thinking, what stories would be good to start uploading? Well you'll just have to keep an eye out for them won't you? :3 Enjoy chapter nine guys!)

**Chapter 9**

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU." The cry rang through the Konoha forest. It had been a week since the preliminaries, and Naruto was already exhausted. Not only had she signed the summoning contract for the toads, but she'd also signed the one for the foxes _and_ after Jiraiya and Sarutobi had talked about it with Gamabunta, the Toad Boss Summons and Makiri, the Fox Boss Summons and some huge Ape Enma and before Naruto knew it, she was trying to prove to this huge ape that she deserved to have her name on his people's summoning contract. Proving this, of course, included lots of running around a forest on little or no chakra, while using Hiraishin and fighting lots of huge apes. She collapsed, exhausted, when Enma said they were done for the day. It had only been a week, and already her body showed signs of the hardening and toning of an incredibly fit ninja. Jiraiya looked down at her proudly. She was doing very well against the monkeys, and was learning the Hiraishin in leaps and bounds. Another week or two and she'd have the Hiraishin down and have done something incredibly rare. Signed three summoning contracts. Not very many people had a summoning contract with a creature, and those that did, usually only had one. So for her to have three, showed just how unique and special his god-daughter was. She was also getting the hang of a special technique her father had created. It was a wind technique that could only be used by their family. It worked by coating the entire body with a layer of wind. Kunai and shuriken would bounce right off of her as long as she had the wind guard activated. It would also stop a Hyuuga Gentle Fist palm strike. He crouched down next to her and tipped a bucket of cold water over her gently. She gasped and woke up. He smiled down at her.

"Go home and get yourself cleaned up. The rookie twelve is having a special dinner with the Hokage tonight. Even Sasuke will be there, which means you'll have to as well." The girl nodded and pulled herself upright with a slight groan. Jiraiya ruffled her hair affectionately. "You're doing really well. Another week and you should have the hang of what we're learning. Then it will just be a case of truly mastering it and thinking up strategies against the Hyuuga before you take a break before the finals." She nodded up at Jiraiya and slowly made her way through the forest and into the village. Out of the Konoha genin in the finals, Shikamaru was training with his team in the village and his family at their compound, Shino was locked in his compound training, Neji was in his compound training and Naruto and Sasuke were both training outside the village. It would be the first time she'd been home for a week. No one had any idea where Jiraiya had taken her for her training, although she thought people had figured it out by the large dust and smoke clouds that erupted from the forest a few miles away. No one knew where Sasuke was either. Her legs trembled as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. Stamina freak she may have been, but if anyone else did the kind of training she did, Jiraiya told her quite bluntly that those people would die. But even she and the great Kyuubi were exhausted. Her muscles trembled and ached. The first thing she did once in the apartment was take a nice long shower. Kyuubi had given up healing her bruises, aches and pains. As quickly as he healed them she had new bruises and hurt even worse than before. He healed her at night so that she would be able to train the next morning. Outside of the shower she slumped onto her bed. There was a tap on the window just as she'd been about to doze off. Almost crying at the unfairness of it all she limped over to the window and opened it, glaring at the ANBU sitting on her window sill.

"What?"

"Your presence is required at the Hokage mansion in half an hour in semi-formal attire." The ANBU bowed. She nodded and he left. Groaning as her arm muscles pulled as she closed the window, she went over to her wardrobe. She'd better get ready now and then leave straight away as it would take her a while to get to the mansion in the state she was in. At least she had something to wear; the semi-formal kimono that Ino had bullied her into buying. She arrived at the Hokage mansion and Konohamaru, Sarutobi's grandson and Asuma's nephew, opened the door to her knock.

"Ohayo Oneechan! You're the last one to get here! Hey Oneechan where'd you got those bruises! Is someone picking on my Oneechan?" The younger boy asked, tugging on her hand as he led her into the mansion after she left her slippers in the entry with everyone else's shoes.

"Ohayo Itouto. Sorry I'm late. I got these bruises training Konohamaru, nobody's picking on me." She told him as they entered the dining room where everyone else sat cross legged on their cushions around the table.

"I like your dress Oneechan!" Konohamaru told her with a grin. She smiled back, ruffling his hair. Hiruzen's wife, Aomi, came forward from the dinner table where the rest of the Rookie Twelve sat and hugged the girl.

"Ohayo Naruto-chan. I see that Jiraiya is taking your training seriously." The old woman said gently, tracing Naruto's fading black eye. "What happened here?"

"Ohayo Obaa-chan. I didn't see the tree that leapt out me while I looking over my shoulder."

"Now you know to look forward while you run."

"I wasn't running."

"What were you doing then?" Aomi asked with a laugh, gesturing for the girl to sit between Shikamaru and Chouji. Kiba grinned at her from across the table. "Practicing." Naruto said with a small smile before bowing from to Hiruzen from her seat.

"Ohayo Jiji-san."

"Ohayo Naru-chan. So your training is going well?" Hiruzen asked as the Rookie Twelve greeted her, Ino gushing about how beautiful she looked in the kimono while Hinata fussed over her bruises.

Naruto nodded as she answered Hiruzen's question, but in a vague way so as not to alert Neji to any of her plans. She winked at the boy as she answered. "Ero-sennin says it's going well. All I know is that I don't get enough food and I'm always exhausted." She told the old man who laughed.

"Well if you, the one with never ending stamina are exhausted then it must be going well." Naruto slumped slightly.

"You get three years of this to look forward to." Kiba teased her.

"Oh yay." She said, stretching slightly and wincing. They all kept talking as dinner was being cooked by the household staff of the Sarutobi family. She didn't realise she'd started to nod off until she slid sideways into Shikamaru and came to with a start.

"Huh what?" She sat up straight and yawned before realising what had happened. "Gomen Shikamaru." She stretched and shook her head, trying to wake up enough to not fall asleep on anyone again. Aomi smiled at her from across the table.

"You look exhausted little one and those bruises look horribly painful." Naruto touched her cheek gently and traced her black eye with her fingertips.

"The bruises aren't so bad Obaa-chan. They looked worse earlier. I feel exhausted."

"Well then it's a good thing the food's being served before you can pass out on us isn't it?" Hiruzen commented, looking over from his conversation with some of the others. The girl shrugged and slumped, her cheek on her hand as she listened to the others and yawned with a sleepy smile. She closed her eyes again. Someone gently shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Chouji shaking her shoulder, everyone grinning at her and Shikamaru using his chopsticks to hold a mouthful of noodles in front of her. Without thinking about it she leaned forward and ate the mouthful. She grinned her thanks at Shikamaru who simply shook his head before handing her his chopsticks and breaking apart new ones.

"What's the matter Shikamaru afraid you'll get girl germs?" Sakura teased. Naruto shook the chopsticks at her.

"I've been a boy and let me tell you, there is no such thing as boy or girl germs. Germs are germs." The blonde said before she stopped moving her hand. They could all see the shaking that Shikamaru had noticed from the start. "This is why he gave me his chopsticks. My hands are so sore I wouldn't have been able to snap the chopsticks apart." Chouji filled a plate with food and gave it to her. She thanked him and looked from her hand to the plate.

"Are we going to have to hand-feed you?" Naruto frowned and lifted the plate up to her face, using her chopsticks as shovels. The plate was empty in minutes. She held it out to Chouji, ignoring how badly the plate was shaking and how much her muscles strained.

"Refill please." Chouji grinned and took the plate while Naruto stuck her tongue out at Sakura across the table.

"Why are your hands so sore?" Neji asked questioningly, trying to look uninterested.

She held her hand up palm outwards so that they could see all the half healed bite marks from where she'd bit her fingers to make them bleed.

"Training Neji. Training, training and more training." She explained slowly clenching her hand into a fist. It wouldn't close properly. She sighed and dug into the second plate of food Chouji had put in front of her. They all watched as the more food she ate, the quicker her shaking went away. The bruises faded and her healthy glow came back.

Sleeping in her own bed that night was like heaven. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Welcome to the Chunin exam finals. I'm the proctor of these matches. My name's Genma. Turn and face the crowd kiddies, you're the main attraction." A tall man with a senbon in his mouth turned and looked up at the Hokage box. Shikamaru looked around nervously. Where were Naruto and Sasuke? They would get disqualified if they didn't show up. Then he remembered the plan. Naruto was meant to get there just in time, and Sasuke was supposed to show up late, _very_ late.

"Yo, sorry I'm late. Slept in." They turned as the slim cat like blonde girl joined them. She came to a halt next to Shikamaru, her hands in her pockets. Anyone who didn't know her would have thought she was simply putting more effort in because it was such an important event, but Shikamaru knew just by looking at her that she was ready for war. Her long blonde hair she usually wore in a low ponytail down her back, but today her hair was up in a braid, a leather stripe with spikes in it. She had arm guards and shin guards. There were four scrolls attached to her belt and an extra kunai and shuriken pouch on her leg.

"Did you really sleep in?" He murmured to her leaning over to whisper in her ear. She shook her head slightly.

"No. I had some things to get ready." She murmured back.

"Your part of the plan?"

"Yup." Shikamaru smirked as they walked up to the balcony where the competitors stood watching the matches. She rested her elbows on the railing, Shikamaru on her left and Neji on her right.

"Nervous?" The Hyuuga murmured to them. Naruto shrugged.

"A little. But I've got this fur ball in my belly getting all hyped up. My blood is literally singing." The girl said, rubbing her hands over her arms. Shikamaru bumped his shoulder against hers.

"Your skin's tingling." He murmured. Neji leaned on her shoulder slightly.

"Shikamaru's right. What's up with you?"

"I told you. The fur ball is itching for a good fight. I've got tingles all over. My senses are heightened even more than usual. You, Neji, use a mango and spice shampoo. You, Shikamaru, use something fruity. I can't put a name to it." Shikamaru grinned.

"Secret." She snorted quietly.

"So do we smell good or bad?" Neji teased with a grin on his face as he turned so his back was leaning on the railing. She laughed just as the proctor asked her and Neji to come down. He'd given Sasuke an extended time.

"You both smell good." She said before she leapt lightly down into the arena over the railing, followed by Neji. Shikamaru leant on the railing. He'd cheer for them both, but that required energy. He was interested in what talents Naruto would show today. Down in the arena, the two genin squared off, grinning at each other.

"Begin." The two watched each other for a moment before sliding into their respective taijutsu styles. The fight, when it started, left jaws slack. Neji and Naruto looked as if they were dancing, not fighting. Their blows, glanced off of each other as they spun, flipped, rolled and ducked. The fight was over sooner than anyone would have thought it would be when Naruto vanished and clones started fighting Neji.

"Kaiten." He called, spinning as chakra sounded him in a dome. The clones hit him and bounced off. He dropped the kaiten and spun around looking for her. His 159 degree vision caught her and his head snapped up. Everyone craned to look and there was two Naruto's, one holding her wrist while the other used both hands to create a spinning blue ball in her outstretched hand.

"Kaiten!" Neji yelled, re-creating the blue dome, just as Naruto's clone dispersed and she held out the hand holding the blue ball of chakra.

"RASENGAN!" She yelled. All of Konoha who was old enough to remember that word gasped. With her blonde hair streaming around her face and the blue ball of chakra in her hand, any people who had still had doubts about Naruto's heritage had no doubts anymore. The ball of chakra in her hand went right through the Kaiten. She dropped it as soon as it was gone and punched Neji in the face, knocking him unconscious. She went back upstairs and found Shikamaru about to forfeit so kicked him into the arena again. He glared at her as she leaned over the railing and cheered him on. He forfeited his match against the girl Temari from Suna in the end anyway, after having displayed enough strategy knowledge to get him promoted to Chunin. Temari gave him the fish eye over it, knowing he could have won if he wanted to. Naruto snagged Shikamaru's arm as he came back up to the balcony, meeting him in the corridor on the floor between the balcony and the arena ground. She led him into a room, shutting the door quickly and listening as Temari paused, having thought she heard something before shrugging and continuing back up to the balcony. Naruto waited another minute; her head tilted as she listened to the sounds outside the room, her nose quivering as she tried to pick up any foreign scent before she led Shikamaru to the other side of the room and leaned over to whisper to him. Shikamaru put his arms around her waist, resting his hands in the small of her back so that if anyone came in, they'd just think it was two teenagers fooling around.

**Flashback.**

Nobody thought it odd when the entire shinobi forces decided to move throughout the village. Although it could have been _because_ they were shinobi so nobody thought there was anything odd. When they were all gathered in a secret room in the Uchiha compound, the clans, all having gotten there their own ways, Sarutobi was about to start talking when there was a knock at the door. It was opened by a ANBU. They jumped the people who had knocked, only to find the members of team seven, all yawning and clearing sleep filled eyes.

"How did you three get here? Sasuke, you can we understand, but when I talked to you earlier girls you just said you'd get here easily." Sarutobi asked as they were ushered in.

"Sure it was easy." Sakura said yawning.

"We decided to have a sleepover here at Sasuke's." Naruto explained with a slight grin as she threw herself across Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba's laps, very conveniently using the three boys as a new bed. Sakura dropped down next to Ino and rested her head on the girl's shoulder. Sasuke sat down among them and rested his chin on his knees.

"We would have been here earlier, but we fell asleep." He explained. "We still wouldn't be here if the smell of candles hadn't woken Miss Fox over here." Naruto grinned at Sasuke.

"It wasn't just the smell of candles. I went to sleep with only yours and Sakura's scent around and then suddenly my nose was filled with all these intriguing scents, many of which I know." She yawned and buried her head against Shikamaru's lap.

"Are you comfy?" The three boys asked her. She nodded and yawned.

"Uh huh. If I fall asleep will you three tell me what's going on? Ero-sennin pushed me off a cliff today so I'm kinda tired."

"Sure." Chouji told her.

"Off a cliff?" Inuzuka Tsume asked, turning to Jiraiya with an angry glare. He shrugged.

"Had to get her to use Kyuubi's chakra somehow. She was out of hers and what we were about to do needed lots of chakra, so as she can really only use Kyuubi's chakra in high emotional states, I pushed her off the cliff. I thought imminent death would rate pretty highly on the emotional scale." The sannin explained.

"Did it work?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto snorted.

"Oh sure it worked. _After_ I broke my left leg in four places, my right foot completely crushed, my pelvis broken, my spleen ruptured, five fractured ribs, four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken shoulder, a dislocated collarbone, a broken elbow, both wrists broken, my fingers dislocated _and_ broken, the muscles in my shoulder blades torn to shreds when I tried to catch myself on the edge of the cliff, a broken tailbone, my spine bent out of shape, the blood vessels in my right eye burst, and my eardrums both burst." The girl ticked off the list of injuries on her fingers. Many people blinked at her.

"How did you survive that?" One Jounin who didn't know her asked. She lifted up her shirt and channelled the chakra to the seal before patting it gently.

"Let it never be said that having a 40 foot demon fox that is terrified of dying and dies if you die sealed inside you is a _completely_ bad thing." Naruto said, shifting slightly. "So much of Kyuubi's chakra was released that I was healed in minutes and then proceeded to get to the top of the cliff and hit him a few times." She said, pointing to Jiraiya, who fingered a bruise on his face in remembrance before looking at the boys from the Rookie Twelve.

"Make a note of it boys that women do _not_ like being thrown off cliffs. No matter how small or annoying they may be." Sarutobi shook his head with a chuckle.

"Well it's a good thing she's okay Jiraiya or I think those eleven young ones over there would be pushing _you_ off the cliff at this very moment." He shook his head again. "Anyway, let's get this gathering started. I have called you all here, because in two weeks, on the day of the Chunin exam finals, Otogakure, of which Orichimaru the snake sannin is the leader of, will be attacking the village with their ally Iwagakure. Now Orichimaru believes that Sunagakure is also on his side in this battle, however Sunagakure is deceiving him, thanks to the help of two of our genin teams and Asuma and Kakashi and our resident Jinchuuriki." Naruto gave him the thumbs up. "This is what you will all be doing." He then went on to explain to the Jounin and Chunin what their posts were before turning to the Genin.

"Of you Genin, you will all answer to three of your peers. Shikamaru will be your strategist and information gatherer, with information from Jounin and Chunin coming constantly to him. Naruto will be you war chief, if she tells you to jump somebody with a frying pan you do it. Neji will be your eyes. If he tells you not to go that way, you don't go that way. Your job will be to join up with the Sand siblings and protect Konoha hospital. Naruto, I'd also like it if you could revisit your pranking days and set up a few 'welcoming surprises' for our enemies." The blonde girl grinned savagely and everyone shook their head, pitying which ever ones of their enemies ran into the girl's pranks. Every shinobi in Konoha had been pranked at least once. Naruto had never been caught and no one had ever had any evidence to say that it was Naruto who had done it, even though it was obvious to everyone who had it was. "If you need, you can get the other Genin to help you set up the pranks understood?" Sarutobi told the girl, who nodded absently as she pulled out a little note pad and pencil and with her blue eyes glowing with mischief and a cheeky grin on her face, started scribbling ideas.

"I'll leave it to you Genin to come up with your plans." Everyone had gone their own way soon after that. They had their orders.

**Flashback ends.**

"How's Neji?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

"He's fine. He wasn't really unconscious, just pretending. He should be back at full fighting strength by the time everything starts." Naruto whispered to him. Shikamaru nodded.

"You know the plan?" He asked. She nodded. "What are we going to do if we run into trouble along the way?"

"Improvise."

"Are you sure that's going to work?" He asked worriedly. Shikamaru was a plotter and a thinker. He came up with plans and strategies. Everything he did was methodical and well thought out. Naruto shrugged.

"No. But then again, a well thought out plan might not work either. We'll be fine Shikamaru. There are twelve of us to mess with after all, and the three Sand Siblings. We're prepared for invasion. The academy students have already been evacuated, as have most of the civilians. Our allies are here to help." The lazy boy sighed and shifted slightly so that he was leaning against the wall.

"I just don't want anything to go wrong." He admitted. Naruto smiled at him and kissed his forehead. Shikamaru blinked in shock.

"Don't worry worry-wart. Nothing will go wrong. For us anyway." She told him before leading him from the room and back up to the balcony to find that Kankuro had forfeited to Shino. Naruto frowned as she looked around for the Oto Nin who had made it to the finals.

"What happened to that Oto genin?" She asked Shino quietly. He pointed at Gaara who winked subtly at her. Just as Sasuke was about to be disqualified, he and Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves as Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand and then reappeared on the arena ground.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke. He grinned up at her before turning his attention to Gaara while Kakashi used some excuse about a black cat and the road of life before vanishing up to the stands to where Sakura and the other Genin were.

"The other night, the Oto Genin tried to eliminate Gaara on a rooftop. Gaara eliminated him." Shino murmured for her and Shikamaru's ears only. Naruto whistled quietly before turning her attention to the match, curious about what Sasuke had learnt. Kyuubi had locked himself in his cage. He gave her his chakra but he wasn't going to risk accidentally possessing her, so he blocked himself from her emotions. She felt a little lonely without him to give her advice, especially with her Otousan still in his coma like state in his cabin. Sakura up in the stands looked at Kakashi who nodded to her with an eye smile. Sakura nodded and took a deep breath before returning her attention to the match.

_We'll be okay._ She thought to herself. _We're all strong, and with Shikamaru's smarts, Neji's sight and Naruto's strength nothing can beat us._ Sakura gripped her belief and faith in her friends and relaxed. When Gaara screamed as Sasuke pierced his ultimate defense, white feathers began falling on the arena. In all the commotion that followed as Jounin and Chunin went at each other, the Oto and Iwa ninja revealing themselves, only for the Suna, Kiri and Taki and Konoha ninja to reveal themselves in return, nobody noticed fifteen teenagers as they raced along the streets. What they did notice, was the large sonic booms followed by plumes of coloured smoke. The fifteen Genin noticed it too.

"Your handiwork?" They asked Naruto who grinned. They made it to the hospital without a hitch, Neji's and Hinata's eyes leading them out of trouble. They reached the hospital and the medic staff sighed in relief.

"Right." Naruto told the rest of them as they gathered in a circle. "There are seals all over this place, put there by Ero-sennin himself to protect the hospital. The only way in is through the main door. No one can enter through windows or anywhere else. If they want in this hospital they have to come through this door and before that they have to come through us. Shikamaru got any plans?" She asked him. He nodded.

"Just the one. We stop anyone who tries to come through this door and if all else fails we let you and your improvisation run wild." The boy told her with a grin. She nodded.

"Sounds good to me. The rest of you okay with that?" They all nodded and spread out in a line to cover the door. A large group of Oto and Iwa Chunin and Jounin came to a halt before the group.

"Excuse us kiddies. We're going into that hospital." One of the Jounin said with a broad grin. His grin faltered when, instead of moving aside or running away, the twelve young teens stayed quiet and settled into fighting stances. The man growled slightly. "They're joking sending children up against trained shinobi. They don't take us seriously. Well, your fifteen dead bodies will change that." His and the other enemy Nin's KI rose so high that some of them started sweating. All except one of the blonde girls, the pink haired girl with green eyes, a black haired boy with black eyes, a red haired young boy with green sea foam eyes, a boy with brown eyes and purple paint on his face and another blonde girl, this one with a large fan strapped to her back. They just looked bored. Shikamaru nodded slightly at Naruto and Gaara who shared a look before letting their KI and that of their demons seep out.

The Jounin and Chunin all took a step back, while the other Genin relaxed. This KI they knew and in the face of their enemies KI it was more impressive.

"For the last time get out of our way!" The Jounin who had spoken before sputtered at them. Naruto turned her blue eyes on him.

"No." He roared and threw himself at her. With practiced ease she blocked his attack and kicked him back over to where the other Chunin and Jounin were standing.

"Leave this village and you'll keep your lives." Gaara informed the enemy nin. They swallowed audibly and then shared a look.

"If we leave this village before the invasion is complete we'll lose our lives anyway. Get them!" As one the Chunin and Jounin attacked.

"Naruto, we're going to need some more fighters. Not all of us are heavy assault oriented." Shikamaru told her. The girl chuckled and flew through a series of seals.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" 30 shadow clones of Naruto sprang into life around them. "That enough for you?" She asked Shikamaru who nodded.

"For now." Naruto nodded and pulled out a kunai. Her clones copied the movement. Her first opponent, the Jounin again, lunged at her.

"LET'S GET WILD!" the blonde cried with a huge grin as she lunged forward to meet him. Her clones yelled with her and surrounded the enemy nin, helping the others to destroy them. Naruto's face was expressionless as the Jounin buried a kunai in between her ribs with a savage grin. With a flick of her wrist, her kunai was lodged deep in his heart and he was falling backwards with an expression of surprise on his face. She pulled the kunai out and dropped it, a sheath of red chakra blanketing her momentarily as the wound healed. Once their enemies had all fallen, Gaara destroyed their bodies using sand and Naruto using her foxfire. The fifteen of them fell back and re-grouped. Hinata was holding her side and breathing heavily.

"Naruto, cover me." Sakura told her. Naruto left a clone where she'd been standing and with a kunai in each hand, took a defensive stance in front of Sakura as the pink haired girl ran through seals and her hands glowing green, used a healing medical jutsu on Hinata, whose colour returned to normal.

"You should be alright until it can be properly healed." Sakura told her before nodding at Naruto and patting her shoulder. Both Naruto and Kiba's noses started going crazy.

"Do you smell what I smell?" The boy asked. The girl growled, her chakra spiking as her canines lengthened.

"Snake." She hissed, blue eyes narrowing. A large group of Oto ninja, led by a certain grey haired young man appeared. A large snaked wrapped its tail around the twelve of them and began squeezing.

"Naruto now is the time to improvise." Shikamaru gasped out. Naruto reached over and grabbed a hold of the boy's jacket and on her other side, Tenten's arm.

"Grab a hold of each other and hold on tight. This might feel a bit weird." She told them. They latched on to each other and with a surge of Naruto's chakra they all shunshined to the top of the hospital.

"Hinata!" Neji yelled. The young girl was still in the clutches of the snake as it prepared to strike at her. Temari sat down heavily, tears pouring down her face as she sobbed noisily.

"She just slipped out of my grip." The girl explained, showing them the piece of cloth from Hinata's sleeve. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto and understood.

"Back up." He whispered to the others. Naruto closed her eyes and focused solely in on Hinata.

"Kawarimi no jutsu." She vanished, only for Hinata to appear in her place and the sound of blood spurting forced them to the edge of the rooftop. The snake had one of its fangs buried in Naruto's shoulder, while she was in the process of snapping the other off. She tipped back her head and unleashed a yipping howl that had Kiba snarling quietly.

"What is it Kiba?"

"The call of a fox." He told them simply. More of those same howls erupted as large foxes, the same ones from training ground 44, leapt out at the snake, tearing into it. Naruto formed a ball of chakra in one hand and thrust it at the snake.

"Rasengan." She whispered. The snake exploded and she dropped to the ground.

"Naruto please get up." Sakura whispered.

"There's a lot of poison in her system." Kiba muttered. Hinata burst into tears. Shikamaru leant over the edge of the roof.

"Oi! You! Troublesome woman! Get up! Or there'll be no more Ramen for you! And you still have to show me that cloud watching spot!" There was a groan from below and they watched as Naruto's hand twitched into a fist. She slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees, spitting out the poison. She threw a wad of it up and her muscles relaxed.

"Baka lazy genius." Was all they heard her mutter as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Well, well, well. It seems that the rumours I've heard of your healing ability are true." Kabuto said as he stepped forward. The foxes surrounding Naruto snarled, recognising the smell of snake on him. She coughed lightly, spitting out more poison.

"You know that's funny, coz I'm sure I heard some rumours about your brilliant healing ability too. Funny how these things aren't always true." He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh and what makes you say that?" He asked pleasantly as he came towards her. The others realised what the problem was. She could stand yes, but walk? Run? Move? No. that she couldn't do.

"This." She stated jumped as a huge toad squashed him.

**"Gaki. What are you doing down there?"** The huge toad asked her. She shrugged.

"Sightseeing." She told him, waving to Jiraiya on the toad's head. The huge toad shook his head in amusement before spying a huge snake and bounding off after it. Kabuto was gone when they looked for him. Naruto was still spitting out poison when the others jumped down to her. Hinata tackled her around the neck, hugging her tightly.

"Arigato Naru-chan!" She cried, as she hugged her. Naruto patted her back awkwardly, turning her head so that she could spit out poison.

"No worries Hinata, but uh, you're sort of strangling me." Hinata jumped back and Naruto took a deep breath before pulling a face and spitting out more poison.

"Snake venom tastes horrible by the way." She told them as she gagged and spat. They chuckled.

"Don't think the war is over little kiddies." A huge Oto Jounin jumped at them only to freeze in place. He tried to move, but Shikamaru, his shadow longer thanks to the shadow the hospital was creating, had the man trapped. They watched as together, Naruto and Sasuke vanished underground, grabbed his ankle each from underneath him and yanked him into the ground. Then enemy Nin just kept coming in waves at them. Obviously they had been told to kidnap the hospitalised people to use as experiments. Slowly, everyone but Naruto and Gaara ran out of chakra. The two Jinchuuriki stood in front their resting teammates, soaked in blood. Naruto unlocked her first tailed form and tore through the enemy Nin before slumping to the ground, unconscious just as the enemy sounded the call for retreat.

When the twelve of them were escorted into the Hokage's office when it was all over, Naruto was slumped over Chouji's back, fast asleep, snoring slightly.

"Is she alright?" Sarutobi asked. They all nodded.

"Just exhausted." Jiraiya appeared through the open window.

"Did she unlock her first tail?" They nodded. He whistled.

"She'll sleep for a few days then." He told Sarutobi as Chouji put her on the couch. The rest of them all sunk gratefully into chairs that were brought out for them. Sarutobi watched them all quietly before he spoke. He was missing his left arm and he looked like he was in pain.

"You have all surpassed my expectations today. You fought bravely for this village, and did so with the skill and strength of higher ranked shinobi. Every single one of you in this room has just been promoted to Chunin. Congratulations." Everyone's eyes widened. The sand siblings bowed from their seats. It was more than the three had expected to gain from coming here. "A large funeral will be held in a few days for Konoha, Mist, Snow and Suna shinobi before the bodies of shinobi from our allied villages are escorted home for their loved ones to bury and hold their own funerals for. We lost some fine shinobi today, but it will be a very long time before either Iwagakure or Otogakure will attack this village, or any other for that matter. Please rest now. If you have any injuries that need tending, make your way to the hospital, which through your efforts is still standing and receive treatment." They all stood and bowed to the old man as he flinched in pain and rubbed his shoulder where his arm was missing. Tsunade appeared in the room and went over to him, her hands glowing green. "Oh and if someone would be kind enough to take Naruto to her home, if it's still standing I'd appreciate it." The twelve ninja nodded and Gaara used his sand to scoop the unconscious blonde up. Her apartment complex, when they found it, had somehow survived the destruction. No one said anything about the graffiti on her walls and how rundown the place was. The only indication that they'd even noticed was the tightening of jaws. They put Naruto to bed, and the sand siblings, spying some spare bedrooms with beds in her apartment, elected to remain there as their hotel had burnt down.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: So there's chapter nine, I hope you enjoyed it. You may be thinking about now; 'Oh Naruto is way too powerful for a twelve year old.' Nope. She has been training to defend herself and be as strong and powerful as she can since she was three years old. And this is the world of shinobi, where those who start training earliest in life grow to be strongest. So no, in my eyes, Naruto is as strong as she needs to be. Yes she is insanely powerful, but she is also, at a perfect power level for her training and dedication to getting stronger. It's her one goal to protect those she cares about, and she is powerful enough to do it. Anyway, chapter ten should be here sometime at the end of this week! Until then, enjoy!)


	11. Chapter 10

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: So. You may be wondering why I am updating today as well as yesterday. Well this morning when I woke up and checked my emails, I was _overwhelmed_ by the number of people who had followed either me or my story or both. Now it wasn't a large amount of people, but it was people. You. All of you, who are reading my work and liking it! So this is for you. A treat, because you deserve one. It is also the end of Part One of this story. It's a very short chapter, but I hope it will tide you over until next I can update (going to the boyfriend's parents house tonight and they have no internet, AND I'm on stupid night shifts at work for the end of this week) But thank you. Thank you all of you for liking my story! This is chapter ten. Enjoy guys, this one's for you!)

**Chapter 10**

The funeral, when it was held, rained. All of Konoha's, Suna's, Mist's and Snow's shinobi still living and able to attend the funeral wake were dressed in black matching outfits. The rookie twelve, promoted to the rank of Chunin, stood with their new comrades. Iruka had cried with joy and pride when he'd discovered that his precious students had all been promoted so soon and had all lived. Konohamaru, Sarutobi's grandson, was in tears. Not only had his grandfather lost his arm, but Konohamaru's Otousan had died in the fighting. Naruto hugged the boy from behind and he turned and buried his face in her clothes, bawling his eyes out as loud sobs wracked his body. She had no words of comfort for the boy, but her hug tightened around him. She'd only met his Otousan a few times. Of Sarutobi's three children she knew Asuma best. Both of Sarutobi's sons had had disagreements with their father that had made them draw apart. Asuma dropped a hand onto her shoulder and squeezed it gently, a silent thank you for comforting his nephew. Asuma and his brother had not been on speaking terms. They hadn't talked to each other in over seven years. She patted Asuma's hand. She would have been adopted by the Sarutobi's when she was very little, but Hiruzen had been unable to force the council to let him adopt the girl. Still, she had been invited to many of the family occasions and was an unofficial member of the family. After the funeral, Naruto slipped away to her home and started packing. The sand siblings peeked into her room to see what she was up to, but didn't disturb her as they set about doing their own packing. Just before teatime there was a knock at her door. Kankuro let them in. They peered around her doorway as she packed more of her stuff away. The stuff she thought would be important to have with her while away.

"When do you leave?" Sakura asked quietly. Naruto paused momentarily. She had her back to them and had been so engrossed in what she was doing that she hadn't noticed they were there.

"Tomorrow morning. We're being sent as the representatives of Konoha for the alliance with Suna so we're leaving with the Suna troops tomorrow. Then once we're done there we'll go someplace else." She explained, lifting up her photo of Team Seven and gently packing it in her things. Tears formed in Sakura's eyes at the sight of the photo. Going to her closet, Naruto took out her clothes and packed them too. She reached up to the top of her closet and pulled down a dusty pile of scrolls. She blew the dust off of two and began sealing her bags inside them.

"Makes carrying stuff easier." She told them. Sasuke wandered over to the bed and sat down on the edge, lifting up her fox teddy and looking at it.

"Where did you get this?" He asked with a smile. She grinned as she took it from him.

"It was a birthday present from Kakashi, the year I turned four." She hugged the teddy to her before adding it to her stuff in the storage scroll.

"Are you almost done with your packing?"

"I'm almost done why?" She answered. "We leave pretty early so I wanted to make sure I had less to pack in the morning." They nodded and Sasuke stood, gripping her elbow and leading her from her room.

"Well as it's the last time we'll see you for a few years, come have tea with us at Ichiraku's Ramen our treat." They told her with grins. She nodded with a smile. The Sand Siblings accompanied them, as they had become firm friends with the other rookies. That night the fifteen of them laughed, talked, mucked around and just enjoyed each other's company. Some of the other girls had brought their cameras, so everyone had a photo with Naruto and the Sand siblings, and then there were group photos. The next morning, Sarutobi gave the girl a hug as she stood with Jiraiya and the Suna troops before handing her a cream cloak with a hood that had two red thick stripes at the bottom of the cloak. She put it on, leaving the hood down before smiling at Sarutobi. They were just out of the gate when there was a cry of;

"Naruto! Wait!" They all turned back to see Shikamaru racing towards to them. He stopped once he reached them, resting his hands on his knees to get his breath back.

"The others. Sent. Me to. Give. You. This." He panted, trying to get his breathing under control as he held out a photo to her. She took it curiously. It was a photo of all of them being silly while looking at the camera. It had been taken the night before. Kusachi, on her head, whined and jumped into Shikamaru's arms. He petted the little fox kit, hugging him gently. "We didn't want you to leave without something to remember us by." Shikamaru told her after saying goodbye to Kusachi. She hugged him tightly, burying her head against his shoulder as his arms wound around her and he hugged her back just as tightly, Kusachi squished between the two of them.

"I could never forget my precious people Shikamaru. Take care of the others for me. I'll be home before you know it." She pulled away, kissed his cheek and left; Kusachi licking Shikamaru's other cheek before jumping from his arms to Naruto's shoulder and then climbing up onto her head. He watched them go, waving when Naruto turned back to wave as Kusachi yipped at him. An arm went around Shikamaru's shoulders and Sarutobi stood there watching them go, a smile on his face.

"This village is going to seem very quiet without her around." Sarutobi said quietly. Shikamaru nodded and watched until she was out of sight.

Six months after Naruto left, Sasuke was kidnapped by Orichimaru. The boys and Sakura went after them on orders from Tsunade, the Godaime of Konoha who had taken over after Sarutobi Hiruzen retired. They were unsuccessful. Six months later, Sasuke walked into Konoha, needing immediate medical help, but alive. All he told them was that Naruto and Jiraiya had rescued him and killed Orichimaru, but that Naruto had been kidnapped by Akatsuki shortly afterwards. 3 months later, a toad summon appeared in Tsunade's office, informing her that Naruto was alive and well and no longer in the hands of the Akatsuki. That was the last news anyone had of their favourite hyper-active blonde for quite a while.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Well, there you go. Chapter ten is done! I hope you enjoyed it, and it will keep you happily reading until I can update again. The ending of the chapter isn't all that great, a little bit disappointing I believe, considering all the action that had been going on! But chapter eleven is just a few days away. (You're catching up on the rest of the story, it might be time to finish it haha!) My second story, Song Of The Foxes is now up and running on here if you want to check it out! Anyway, until I am next near the internet, enjoy!)


	12. Chapter 11

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Well here you go guys, Part 2, chapter 11! Now we are slowly headed towards the adult content of the story! I'm so tired today... worked night shift last night and I'm so tired! But I need to be awake to update this for you guys. I hope you like this chapter. Again, Naruto may seem unfairly powerful, but I don't really think she is. Anyway, enjoy chapter 11!)

**PART TWO**

**Chapter 11**

Haruno Sakura loved her village in the autumn time. She tucked the documents that Tsunade, her sensei and Hokage, had asked her to take to the Chunin at the main gate, more securely under her arm and hummed. Life was pretty good for Sakura at that moment. She had just been promoted to Special Chunin. She was also considered as one of the Ni-Sannin. The three who had been trained by the three original sannin had been given the name as they each, in a way, lived up to their teacher's name. Sasuke, her teammate who was currently in ANBU, was the Ni-Sannin of Orichimaru, having been personally trained by him while he was a captive and was now being trained by Sarutobi Hiruzen. Their third teammate, someone Sakura hadn't seen in three years, was the third of the Ni-Sannin, and she was, rumour had it, just as powerful as her sensei. Sakura played with the ring on her finger as she walked. Touching the ring made her smile. She had long gotten over her child's crush on Sasuke, and had been engaged to Neji for two months now. The only thing that could make her life complete right then was for Naruto to come home. She was just handing the documents to the Chunin at the gate when they called out to two people coming in.

"Wait! Who are you! You'll need identification to enter Konoha." The two strangers stopped and turned to look at them as Sakura turned around. Her mouth fell open. Standing in front of her was a slim, cat-like, beautiful young woman with golden, sun-kissed skin, long blonde hair that reached her waist and was slung in a low ponytail, while her top layers of hair were choppy and stuck up all over the place. Two longer bangs of hair framed the sides of her face. She had soft, full lips, a tipped-up button nose, three whisker marks on each cheek and captivating cerulean blue eyes. Her Konoha hitai-ite was tied around her neck. She wore a cream coloured cloak with red stripes at the bottom that Sakura recognised; she had one too. It was the travel cloak of a Konoha shinobi. All that Sakura could see of her clothes under the cloak was a pair of dark, closed toe black boots. Two foxes stood on either side of her, one, a large reddish brown male with gold eyes who Sakura recognised, and a pale white, smaller female with green eyes. Both foxes had leather battle armour on that looked specially made. The older man, with white hair and red lines going down his face smiled at her.

"Naruto?" She asked the girl, who grinned, showing off a pair of very sharp looking white canines.

"Ohayo Sakura. I love what you've done with your hair. It suits you." Sakura lifted a hand up to run her fingers through her short locks of hair. She'd had it cut not long after Sasuke had been kidnapped, as an enemy Nin had used her long hair to hold her hostage for a moment. Now her hair stopped just above her shoulders. She laughed and threw herself at the other girl, hugging her tightly.

"Oh Naruto it's so good to see you!" She gushed, grinning at the girl. Naruto's blue eyes sparkled at her.

"Likewise. It was getting tiring with just Ero-sensei for company." The girl grinned at her sensei before Sakura slipped an arm through hers. Both of her foxes growled and Sakura pulled back.

"Kusachi! Rukia! She's a friend. Kusachi you remember Sakura? She was the girl with long pink hair." Both foxes went to Sakura cautiously, sniffing her, before their tails wagged, and Kusachi, whose head now came to Naruto's hip, yipped at Sakura and licked her. Naruto grinned.

"He says he remembers you now." Sakura smiled and bowed to both of the foxes.

"Welcome home Kusachi. Hello Rukia." She told the female fox who licked her gently in welcome.

"Come on Gaki. We'd better report to the Hokage's office." Jiraiya told his student. Sakura asked them to wait and grabbed the documents she needed to take back to the Hokage's office from the Chunin at the gate. The girls walked together, chatting and catching up. They didn't notice the looks both Naruto and the two foxes received. Although people no longer hated the girl, they still feared foxes to some extent and the girl herself.

"You're engaged? Please tell me it's not to Sasuke."

"No." Sakura leaned over and whispered something in Naruto's ear.

"Neji?" The blonde girl thought for a moment. "I can see how you two would work together. Ah! That's so great Sakura! I'm so happy for you both!" The blonde grinned at the pink haired girl whose eyes twinkled. They reached the Hokage tower and went inside. Tsunade looked up, ready to yell at them when they burst in without knocking, until she caught sight of Jiraiya, and then recognised the beautiful, fit young woman in front of her.

"Naruto!" She yelled, leaping up and hugging the girl. Naruto grinned at her and hugged her back. Once Tsunade was sitting again, Naruto and Jiraiya gave her their reports of the three years. There was a knock at the door just after they'd finished explaining.

"Enter." Tsunade said. The door opened and Naruto turned slightly with Sakura to see who was coming in. A tall, fit young man with his hands in his pockets and a bored expression came in, with a tall woman with blonde hair, green eyes and her hair in four ponytails beside him. The young man's hair, a dark brown, was in a high pineapple like ponytail at the back of his head. His eyes, the same doe brown they'd always been, locked on Naruto's as shock radiated in them. Naruto blinked at him. Shikamaru hadn't changed at all, she decided. Except for his clothes and earrings. She corrected herself, noting that he'd changed his sleeper earrings for studs and that what he'd worn as a Genin had been replaced by the standard Chunin uniform. Sakura grinned at him and moved forward, waving a hand at Naruto.

"Neh Shikamaru! Look whose home!" Sakura exclaimed happily. A delighted grin crossed Shikamaru's face and his eyes twinkled as he recognised the young woman.

"Naruto!" He said, moving forwarding and hugging her. She laughed.

"Ohayo Shikamaru." The laughing blonde said as she hugged him back. She was slightly irked to find that she was short enough that if he put his arm around her shoulder she fit perfectly under his arm. "Ohayo Temari." She called over his shoulder at the Suna girl who smiled at her.

"Ohayo Naruto." Temari said, waving slightly.

"Shikamaru you're breaking my back." Naruto told him with a laugh. He pulled back, the delighted grin still on his face.

"When did you get back?" He asked her.

"Just now." She answered.

"Naruto, Jiraiya tells me you have some information about Orichimaru for me?" Tsunade asked. The girl nodded and turned to an empty chair, her cloak coming off and slung over the back of the chair. Sakura whistled in appreciation and envy of her friend's body. Naruto rolled her eyes at her. Naruto had bandages from around her chest to half way down her thighs, with the bandages extending to her knee on her right leg. Over the bandages she wore dark orange shorts that looked a lot like Sakura's black shorts. Over the bandages on her chest she wore an orange thick mesh top that had shoulders styled like Sakura's vest and tucked into her shorts. Over both of these things was a black dress that came to half way down her thighs and had slits running up the sides to where the bandages ended and her skin began. Her dress had a high collar at the back, with a long V-neck that came to a point midway on her chest. Around her waist was a thick black band that emphasized her large chest and curvaceous hips. Her black boots came up to her knees. From wrist to elbow, she wore black arm guards that had silver plates running down them. She wore her hitai-ite around her neck still, although the cloth had been changed to orange from blue. On her right hand, she had a metal plate on the back with a strap across her palm that looked almost identical to Jiraiya's. The palm of her left hand was adorned with the Konoha seal. A thick cloth strap was slung over one shoulder and hung down the opposite hip before returning back up her back the same way to meet at her shoulder. Four medium sized scrolls hung on the strap at her back, with a large one underneath them resting in the small of her back. Around her hips, under the dress, was a belt with more, smaller scrolls clipped into little holders. Her kunai pouch could be seen just under the dress around her right thigh with her shuriken pouch hanging at the back of her right hip beside two scrolls. Her hair was slung in a low ponytail, trailing down her back. It was tied at the back of her head with a leather strap, the end of which dangled down her back, tangling with her hair. A small metal ball hung from the end of the leather strap, swinging from side to side halfway down her back.

Shikamaru knelt to greet Kusachi, who at the sight of the young man had started wriggling with joy, before introducing himself to the female fox who Naruto introduced to him as Rukia. He fingered the leather armour that the two foxes were wearing, noting their stances. Her foxes were battle trained. They were Nin foxes, just as surely as the Inuzuka's were partnered with Nin dogs from a young age, like Kiba and Akamaru. Naruto fished around the small belt she wore, her fingers searching for a particular scroll. Upon finding it, she bit her thumb and opened it, streaking her blood across it. There was a 'poof' of smoke and she caught the pile of papers that fell out of it, handing them to Tsunade before putting the scroll away and sucking the blood off her finger, which had already healed completely.

"We found these when we raided one of Orichimaru's hide-outs on our way back here. The information is to say the least, interesting." Tsunade nodded and started reading the papers. Shikamaru placed the files he was holding on the top of a pile on the desk. "Uh, Baa-chan is it okay if I go? It's just I have people to see if they're not on missions." The blonde told her. Tsunade looked up.

"Yes, yes go. I need you here tomorrow morning at nine to discuss some things with you, but I'm sure there are quite a few people you'd like to go see before then. The village has changed a lot since you left, and I'm sure Shikamaru and Sakura won't mind showing you what's changed. I hope you don't mind, but Temari has been staying at your apartment when she's been in Konoha over the past three years." Naruto shook her head.

"Nah doesn't bother me. I just hope she watered my plants." Temari nodded with a grin. "Well see you tomorrow Baa-chan!" She waved to the woman and then turned to her sensei. "The spare room's there. Or the couch. You will _not_ sneak into Temari's room and sleep in there with the excuse that it's a spare room. Nor will you sleep in some dingy hotel with some woman, or sleep at one of the pleasure houses. There is a spare room or the couch sensei. Use one of them." She told Jiraiya forcefully. He nodded and waved her away. She slung her cloak back on over her clothes and followed her three peers out, Kusachi and Rukia on her heels. As soon as the door was shut, Naruto turned to her three friends with a huge grin.

"So?! What's happened? Who else is getting married? Who's dating? Who's ranked what these days? Fill me in!" She demanded, stamping her foot lightly, hands on hips. Sakura laughed and slipped an arm through Naruto's turning her as they went.

"Well as you know, Neji and I are engaged. I'm a special Chunin, and a med nin at the hospital and a Ni-Sannin, as are you and Sasuke. Neji is a Jounin, and he's just taken on his first team, which is very impressive for a 17 year old. The only other to ever do so was your Otousan from what I'm told. Shikamaru here is single. He did date Temari here for a while, but they're not together anymore. He is a special Chunin and an examiner in the Chunin exams, which is why Temari's here; she's one of the Suna ambassadors. Sasuke is in ANBU, and dating your ex-boyfriend Gaara, something that I've heard made you fall out of a tree laughing when you found out." Naruto grinned and nodded. "Ino and Chouji are engaged. Chouji's a Chunin and a teacher at the academy, Ino took over the floristry from her parents and is a Chunin. Hinata is head med Nin at the hospital and dating Kiba. They're both Chunin. Shino is in ANBU and is engaged to a girl from his clan. Tenten and Lee are dating, Tenten's a Chunin and Lee's in ANBU. Kakashi is dating Iruka, I recently heard they're considering getting married." "

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "They've liked each other since I was about this tall." She explained, bending to place her hand in the air next to her knee. Sakura chuckled and continued.

"Asuma and Yuuhi Kurenai are married and expecting their first child, and that's about it really. What about you? What ranking do you have besides your Ni-Sannin status?" Naruto shrugged.

"San-Sage." Temari gasped.

"What's a sage?" Sakura asked confused. Temari, who understood, explained it to the young woman while looking at Naruto in awe.

"You know how I have a summoning contract?" Sakura and Shikamaru both nodded. This was something that Shikamaru didn't know about either, so he was very curious. "Well A sage is someone who has been trained in the particular jutsu styles of that summon and mastered them. They have trained in the home realm of that summon, and earned the highest honour among mortals who have signed that summoning contract. Sage mode. It is very rare for anyone to reach Sage mode, although I believe her sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin has also reached that honour." Naruto nodded, confirming Temari's assumption. "But the fact that's she's reached Sage mode with _three_ summoning contracts, is, well it's, I don't think it's ever been done before." Temari sputtered, coming to a loss of how to explain it. Naruto stretched.

"Only once. A long, long time ago. I've signed the Toad, Fox and Ape summoning contracts. They are all battle summons, unlike Temari's ferrets which are an Intelligence and recon summons. But yes, reaching Sage mode in three Summoning Contracts is unheard of, partly because it is so rare for someone to have signed more than one contract at a time." Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't easy. But you did ask for my ranking." She grinned and elbowed Temari gently.

"Chill out will you? People do more impressive things than that every day." Temari just looked at her as if to say, 'Who are you trying to kid here? Me or You?' Sakura just shrugged.

"If it means you can protect yourself against those horrible Akatsuki than that's all that matters." Naruto grinned at her.

"Any other special rankings?" The pink haired girl teased her friend. Naruto tilted her head, thinking.

"Uh, no? At least, not that I know of." She told her with a grin. The four of them raced around Konoha, with Kusachi and Rukia following with interest. Naruto poked her head into Iruka's classroom, shocking his students in there, except for Konohamaru who grinned and waved enthusiastically at her while Iruka hugged her. When she poked her head into Chouji's class, the young man dragged her into the room and introduced her to his students before yelling at them to read a certain number of pages, while he chatted to her. Next they went to the Yamanaka Flower store, where Ino cried with joy at seeing Naruto in a dress. Naruto congratulated her on her engagement to Chouji, with Ino showing her the ring on her engagement finger, which Naruto gasped and gushed at. Next they paid a visit to the Jounin lounge, where Kakashi, Asuma, Neji, Kurenai, Ebisu, Kotestu, Izumo, Genma, Hayate and Gai all happened to be. It took them a while to leave there, and Naruto was blushing when they did.

"How many of those Jounin just asked you out on dates?" Sakura teased her as Naruto fanned her red cheeks with her hands while they walked to ANBU headquarters.

"So embarrassing." The blonde muttered to herself, causing the other three to chuckle. In ANBU headquarters Shino nodded to her in greeting, Lee seized her up into a back- breaking bear hug and Sasuke, after bowing to her so low that his nose touched the floor, gave her a similar hug. After letting her go, the blonde leant on Shikamaru, struggling quietly to breathe while Sasuke introduced her to a young man named Sai.

"He joined team Seven after you'd left." Sakura explained. The others watched her reaction carefully, wondering how she would react to the man who had taken her place in her team. Naruto, still leaning on Shikamaru, extended a hand for him to shake with a grin.

"Ohayo Naruto-san." Sai said quietly, shaking the offered hand. Naruto held up one finger, a message for him to wait for one moment as she leant forward to rest her hands on her knees, trying to breathe. She was very slowly turning purple. In desperation, she knocked at Shikamaru's hand with hers, trying to send him a silent message.

"What? What do you need?" He asked, unsure of how to help her. She rolled her eyes, and with what little air she had, yipped at Kusachi, who raced over, gripped Shikamaru's sleeve above his wrist with his teeth, lifted his arm while rising to his hindquarters and then let go off his sleeve above Naruto's back, causing Shikamaru's arm to slam into Naruto's back, forcing air out of her lungs. Understanding shone in Shikamaru's eyes as he patted her back, thumping his hand down between her shoulder blades, hoping he didn't hurt her. Naruto coughed and sucked in air quickly. As soon as she could breath, she straightened up.

"Arigato Shikamaru. Lee, Sasuke arigato for breaking a rib. Ohayo Sai-san." She greeted the young man, bowing to him slightly before grinning.

"Why is it whenever you're around us you get hurt?" Sakura asked with a chuckle. Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't punctured a lung in a while though." She rubbed her side gingerly before stretching and sighing as her bones made satisfying crunches that had everyone else flinching. Soon after, Lee, Shino, Sasuke and Sai had to go, so the four headed off to the hospital. Hinata was glad to see her, and as it was her lunch break she joined them for lunch at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, which Naruto ate slowly with her eyes closed, savouring the taste before declaring that it really _was_ the best Ramen in the world. Tenten and Kiba they found in the training grounds. Tenten stopped her weapon aiming practice to hug the girl and chat for a while, while Kiba when they saw him, slung her up in a big bear hug, and put her down, only for her to be flattened by Akamaru, who licked her face eagerly in greeting. Her last stop of the day was the Sarutobi place, where Hiruzen, Aomi and Konohamaru had moved to when Hiruzen retired. After the four had tea there, Shikamaru and Sakura told her they'd see her soon and she and Temari walked to her apartment. Naruto looked around in silence, touched by how much her friends cared. The place had been cleaned up. As Naruto was the only person living in the apartment complex, although Temari was in the process of having her own place built across the hall, her friends had knocked out the walls between her and the apartments next door to her. They'd renovated her apartment. Her kitchen was bigger, with a better fridge, oven and sink. There was an island bench in the middle with breakfast stools. Her dining room, which she hadn't had when she'd left, had a traditional Japanese table, with traditional cushions. Her plants were well watered and thriving. There was a new couch in her lounge room, and a television with a start of the art gaming system. She rolled her eyes at that. Obviously her friends had elected that her house would be the get together place. She stared, open mouthed at what they'd done to her balcony. Everyone had known that Naruto loved gardening. They had planted all of her favourite plants. Her vegetable and fruit garden had been improved and several of her favourite plants were growing around the place. There was also a cleared spot with a sign that said very clearly; 'Shikamaru's area.' She snorted softly.

"Glad to know they've all made themselves at home in my home." She told Temari who laughed quietly.

"He didn't do that. Ino, Sakura and Hinata did. They did it because not long after you left, Tsunade split up you guys into pairs who do missions and so forth together and you've been paired with him. If it makes you feel better, they've designated a section of his balcony as 'Naruto's area.'" Naruto had to laugh at that. The floors in her house were now all wood and there were thick rugs under the couch and coffee table, under the dining table and under all of the beds. The walls had been painted soft neutral colours. Her room had been enlarged, as had her three spare rooms and the bathroom. Her bedroom now had a walk in robe, and an ensuite bathroom that had a spa bath and a large shower. Her room also now had a large, king sized bed with orange and black covers, pillows and sheets. She had a large study, filled with scrolls, books, a desk, a lamp and a couch. There was another desk in there with a sign above it saying 'Shikamaru's area.' A muscle in her jaw twitched.

"They've done it in his study too. They've designated one of the spare room's as his, and one of the spare room's in his house as yours." Naruto sighed and shook her head. She peeked into the room that had the 'Shikamaru's area' sign on it, noting how masculine the room was decorated compared to the rest of her house. She poked her head through an archway into a large room filled with bean bag style beds.

"They made this room up for your foxes, in case you came home with more than one. They didn't listen to Kiba when he told them your fox or foxes would probably sleep in your bed."

"He was right." Naruto murmured, unpacking her stuff throughout the house. Temari helped her unpack her belongings. Soon after that, the girls said good night to each other and went to their rooms. Naruto changed into her underwear and a large loose shirt. She knelt down in front of Kusachi and Rukia and slipped their leather armour off of them. They shook out their fur and jumped up onto the end of her bed. She brushed her hair out and slipped under the blankets, sighing in relief. Within minutes she was asleep.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: So there's chapter eleven guys. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you like what I'm doing and where I'm going with this story! (I do apologise for there not being too many action scenes). Chapter 12 I will update maybe Wednesday? I'm going to house inspections Monday night so I won't have any internet, Tuesday night I'm working, so I'll update Wednesday, or maybe Monday before I go out, okay? Until then enjoy! )


	13. Chapter 12

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Sorry for how long it took today to update this. I've fallen ill with something at the moment. I'll be seeing a doctor tomorrow about it. But here is chapter 12 for you guys. Enjoy.

**Chapter 12**

Temari slipped into her room the next morning very early, shaking her awake gently. Naruto rolled over and blinked sleepily up at her.

"I'm on my way home to Suna. Knowing my luck, Shikamaru will be outside waiting to walk me to the gates. You go back to sleep and I'll get him to come back here and wake you up so that you're not late for your meeting okay? I'll see you next time I'm in Konoha." Naruto sat up and hugged the young woman goodbye.

"Oh Temari?" She called as Temari got to the door.

"Yes Naruto?"

"Will you let Kusachi and Rukia out? They'll go to the forest of death or something and catch themselves some breakfast. They just need to be let out." Temari nodded and the two foxes jumped off the bed and followed Temari out. "Tell Shikamaru that they should be back at the front door when he gets here, so he can just let them in. Say hello to your brothers for me."

"I will." Naruto turned and curled back up under her blankets, going back to sleep. Temari locked Naruto's front door behind her as Kusachi and Rukia took off across the rooftops towards training ground 44.

"Morning." She turned to see Shikamaru leaning against the wall. She smiled at him. Even though their relationship hadn't worked, she'd always thought of him as one of the most attractive men she'd ever met.

"Morning Shika." She started walking and he fell in beside her. After they had broken up, men in the village had started hitting on the young woman, some of them getting quite violent. So, to stop Temari from accidentally causing a problem with the alliance when she beat the men who tried pushing her around, Tsunade had assigned Shikamaru, the only one of the Konoha 12 who's partner was not around, to accompany the young woman. Thankfully, the sight of the young man with her had caused the men to back off and leave her alone.

"Hey Shika?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they walked through the streets, indicating he was listening. "Naruto went to sleep as soon as I said goodbye. I think she's a little exhausted."

"Don't worry. Tsunade has informed me that it's my job to make sure she gets to meetings on time. I'm going to go back to her place once I've walked you to the gate and wake her up. Good thing I've got a key." He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, slouching slightly. "Troublesome. That woman is the most troublesome woman I know. She's even more troublesome than you." Temari smiled at that. He'd once told her that all he wanted was to be a ninja for a while, then marry a nice quiet woman, have a few nice, well-behaved children and retire.

"She asked me to tell you that if Kusachi and Rukia are at the door when you get there to just let them in." He nodded. They fell into a comfortable silence. Shikamaru wasn't much of a morning person. Then again, he was never really very talkative to begin with. They got to the gate and she gave him a quick hug before leaving. He watched her go and then turned and made his way slowly back to Naruto's apartment as the sun came up. Kusachi and Rukia were sitting at her front door when he got there, waiting patiently. Upon seeing him, they grinned at him foxily and their tails wagged. He shook his head as he unlocked the door. He looked around the house at all of the things that she'd obviously unpacked. Souvenirs and memorabilia of all the places she'd gone. He knocked lightly on her bedroom door and waited. Kusachi head butted his leg. Shikamaru looked down at him and shrugged. Kusachi head butted his leg again. Sighing, Shikamaru opened the door and the two foxes slipped past him, jumping up onto the bed and curling up by the feet of the sleeping Naruto.

He stood in the doorway, watching her sleep. She was facing him, one hand curled in the sheets near her face. Her long blonde hair spilled over the sheets. Her face was relaxed and her lips slightly parted as she breathed. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks like dark crescent moons. He tilted his head, watching her. She mumbled and frowned in her sleep, lines forming between her eyebrows as she frowned. He made his way over to the bed, his finger tracing her frown lines. She mumbled again and tossed, rolling over. A small smile pulled at his lips. He shook her shoulder gently, waking her. She made a slight whining sound at the back of her throat at being woken up when she really wanted to sleep. His smile widened. She shook her shoulder away from his touch, mumbling as she buried her face in her pillow, trying to stay asleep. He shook her shoulder again. She sighed deeply.

"Five more minutes Shikamaru." She mumbled quietly.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Temari said you'd drop in. Who else would be waking me up?" She yawned slightly before curling up more securely under her blankets. He shook his head.

"I'll go make you some breakfast and let you sleep some more. Is there anything you'd like?" He whispered, leaning over towards her.

"Bacon and eggs please. With orange juice." She mumbled before shifting onto her side slightly. He made his way into the kitchen, muttering about how troublesome it was when the woman was supposed to cook breakfast and not the man, and how troublesome it was that he hadn't even been bothered by the idea of cooking her breakfast until after he'd offered. He'd never cooked Temari breakfast. Never. It just wasn't something he did. And yet here he was, cooking bacon and eggs for Naruto, and not wondering why he couldn't do it for a girl he'd dated but he could for a girl he hadn't dated; now he was wondering how she liked her eggs cooked. Once her bacon and eggs was cooked, he cooked some toast and buttered it before pouring a glass of orange juice. He put it all on a tray and took it back into her room. He put the tray on the bedside table and sat on the edge of her bed, gently shaking her again. She made that whining sound again. A sound that he found rather cute, he had to admit. She rolled over and blinked at him sleepily as she yawned.

"Breakfast." He told her. She sat up and crossed her legs and he sat the tray on the bed in front of her.

"Arigato." She told him, pushing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. He stole little bits of her bacon as she ate. They talked a little, about why things hadn't worked out between him and Temari, how his missions were going. He told her that he still used that cloud watching spot she'd told him about. She smiled at that. She'd written to him just before she left Suna when she first left, letting him know where she was off to next, and told him about the cloud watching spot on the top of the Yondaime's head on the Hokage monument. He asked her about Kyuubi, and why things hadn't worked out between her and Gaara. He'd felt odd that she put in words about what had been wrong with her relationship with Gaara, that he had felt about his relationship with Temari. She chuckled when he told her so before slipping a piece of bacon to Kusachi and Rukia each. She showered while he did the dishes and he was lying down on her balcony in 'his' area, when she came out in the same clothes she'd worn yesterday, only a clean pair. Over the past three years, he had been working on his sense of smell with Kakashi to help him, and his sense of smell would never be as good as hers, but it was as good as Kakashi's. So he knew when she stopped in the doorway to the balcony. She smelt like flowers and a slightly animal musk scent that must be what Kiba called her 'foxyness'. He tilted his head back to look at her. She was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, and a smirk on her face as she looked at him.

"What?" He asked her. She shook her head as she stepped out onto the balcony.

"Oh nothing. Just thinking about how much I've changed, and how much you've stayed the same." He frowned.

"Is that a bad thing?" He queried. She shook her head, her blonde ponytail flying around her head.

"No it's a good thing. Sometimes I don't feel that I'm the same person I was three years ago." She leant against the balcony, looking out over the village. He sat up slightly, leaning his upper weight on his elbows. "So it's nice that something's the same. You prove that maybe I am still me. It's a comfort to know that even if I've changed a lot, there are things that are the same. Like you, with your laziness and your love for cloud watching. You let people think that you just let the world go by, but you don't. You see everything that goes on." She told him, turning to lean against the railing and look at him.

"You know you're not that different either. I mean you are different, don't get me wrong, but you're still the blonde life-loving girl I said goodbye to three years ago." He told her, his gaze on hers. Her blue eyes lit with a sparkle. He stood and walked over next to her, leaning on the railing alongside her, looking out over the village like she had just before. "You know it's funny. When Temari and I had an argument, she'd always make a point about how I didn't talk to her about my feelings or opinions, how I never let her in. It's the same with everyone I guess. Except Chouji. And you. If you stick me in a room with you or Chouji, I can talk for ages and ages without caring." He explained, looking at her with a smile. A bird flew past, squawking at them and Shikamaru rolled his eyes at it.

"Come on. We got to get to Tsunade's office." Naruto followed him out of the apartment, Kusachi and Rukia with her and in their armour, which Shikamaru figured she'd put on them when she was getting dressed. When they walked into the tower, Miya, who was still the secretary, grinned at her.

"Ohayo Naruto-chan! It's so good to have you back."

"Ohayo Miya-chan." Naruto replied, smiling at the older woman.

"Go right on in." Miya told the two of them, reaching out to pet Kusachi, who let her, scratching him behind the ears. Naruto smiled to see Miya so friendly with the foxes. Shikamaru knocked on the door.

"Enter." Tsunade called. The two Chunin went into the room. Tsunade was at her desk, going over paperwork, as Shizune stood next to her chair, going through it with her.

"Ohayo Naruto, Shikamaru." Shizune told them with a smile. "We'll just be a minute."

"Morning Shikamaru and brat."

"Morning." Shikamaru replied, settling into a seat in front of the desk with a slight smile.

"Ohayo Shizune. Morning Baa-chan. You know there is an easier way to do all of this paperwork." She told the woman, settling in the chair beside Shikamaru. Tsunade looked up at her sharply.

"If this is your idea of a joke brat, I'm not amused. What's the secret to paperwork that no Hokage besides your Otousan has been able to solve?" Naruto grinned at her.

"You've just got to think like Otousan is all. Or think like me. It really is a simple secret." Tsunade looked at her expectantly.

"Well? What is it?" She demanded.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Naruto asked. Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly. Naruto sighed and shrugged. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu." Tsunade froze. Anyone who used the shadow clones on a regular basis knew that when they dispersed, everything they had learnt went to the original. It was a great way to train; in fact Naruto still used Kage Bunshin when training. Naruto, Shizune and Shikamaru watched as Tsunade opened a drawer, pulled out a piece of paper that had a red target drawn on it, put it on her desk and then started head butting that spot, repeating one word over and over.

"Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka, Baka." Naruto snickered quietly.

"Is that the sign that Ero-sensei made when Jiji-san took back the job after Otousan died?" She asked. Tsunade nodded and stopped head butting the desk, putting the sign back in the draw.

"Yes it is. He told sensei that Minato had solved the paperwork problem and that solution was so easy a Hokage would never think of it, but that if sensei ever did work it out, he could use this sign as a target." She shook her head, rubbing her forehead. Once she'd gotten over how stupidly obvious the answer to her problem had been, she created three Kage Bunshin and set them to work on the paperwork before turning her attention to the two sitting in front of her.

"So Naruto, I am sure you are aware of the partnerships I created and who your partner is." Naruto nodded. "What you might not know is, that until one of you is in a relationship, you'll sleep in the same house, going between each other's places, work together, eat together etc., To the extent where you don't need to say anything to talk to each other so that when you do dangerous missions together, you can communicate without anyone knowing." Naruto thought about that for a moment.

"That doesn't bother me too much I guess. I know that there are going to be times when I can have some me time or girl time because Shikamaru will probably be cloud watching or something." She grinned at him and he shrugged in response. She was right after all.

"Your first mission is that today, every week you will be the Chunin helping me in the mission room. Okay? You have another day every week of gate guard duty down at the main gates. You'll have one day off a week. You'll be doing Chunin missions around the village every one of those other days that you're not here, at the gate or resting. We want you to settle back down into the village and let the people get to know you Naruto before we send you outside the village walls again." Naruto nodded her understanding.

"So, let's get your first day underway." Tsunade said, leading them to the mission room. They sat next to each other on her left, while Shizune sat on her right. Naruto found the mission very relaxing. Until Konohamaru and his two friends, whose names she could never remember, even two minutes after she'd been told them, came in.

"Hi Oneechan! Look we passed the exam yesterday and the test this morning! We're Genin now!" He grinned at her, pointing at his hitai-ite. She grinned at him.

"Congratulations guys. To celebrate your passing, I have the perfect first mission for you." She handed Ebisu a mission with a grin and the team left the room.

"What mission did you give them?" Tsunade asked her pen poised above the large scroll on which she wrote which team did which mission.

"Tora retrieval." The girl told her with a wicked grin. Tsunade started laughing.

"Didn't you hate that mission?" Shikamaru asked lazily from beside her. She nodded.

"It got better after that time before the mission to Wave. Tora obviously thought she had to make it up to me, because that cat has loved me ever since. Team seven holds unbeaten record for catching Tora." She told him. Tsunade sent them off at lunchtime and they left the tower walking slowly through the streets of Konoha. Naruto stretched lightly, looking around as her blue eyes twinkled.

"So what do you want for lunch?" She asked him.

"Well we have six days of the week where we're working, and as I don't love Ramen anywhere near as much as you do, is it okay if we have that maybe twice a week?" She nodded.

"Yer that works. Where are we going to go the other four days?" He shrugged.

"Well how about that all you can eat bbq place that Chouji visits every day for lunch? And there's a nice little restaurant that does western food that I like." He told her. She nodded.

"Sounds good to me. I never thought of you as someone who would like Western food though."

"Oh it's not that. I don't mind western food, but this restaurant does a really good mackerel cooked with miso." The man told with her a grin. She shook her head.

"Well then let's go see this little western restaurant." She told him, elbowing him lightly. They were almost at the restaurant when a small brown cat with a red ribbon on its ear flew past. Followed shortly after by three kids. Their sensei was going along the rooftops behind them. He waved to the two Chunin. Naruto's grin was so big it threatened to take up her whole face as she chuckled. Shikamaru mumbled something along the lines of 'troublesome' and they continued on their way. Just as they pushed aside the curtain to enter the restaurant their names were called. Sakura was waving at them from the table where she sat across from Neji.

"Troublesome. What are they doing here? I'm the only one who knows about this restaurant." Shikamaru mumbled to her as they grabbed the menus and made their way over to Sakura and Neji's table.

"Stop being so paranoid. It's probably just a coincidence."

"I hope it's not a coincidence that's going to happen every Monday." He grumbled in response. She dug her elbow into his ribs lightly.

"Neji probably just wanted to treat Sakura to lunch someplace new is all. Besides, even if they do have lunch here every Monday what's wrong with that?" Shikamaru sighed and mumbled something. Naruto rolled her eyes at him.

"You are far too antisocial. How many of our friends do you have anything to do with more than once a week?" He shrugged and held up two fingers before adding a third. He stopped to think about it.

"Three a week at most." He informed her. She shook her head and smiled at the two lovebirds as they came to a halt in front of their table.

"Ohayo Sakura, Neji. This is a surprise. Special occasion?" She asked. Sakura nodded and grinned.

"It's our anniversary today, so Neji's treating me for lunch. What were you two talking about on the way over here? It seemed intense." She asked as her and Neji shifted over a seat. "Join us?"

"But it's your anniversary lunch. Are you sure you won't mind?" Sakura shook her head so Naruto sat next to her as Shikamaru dropped down next to Neji, the two young men nodding at each with slight grins. "We were discussing Shikamaru's antisocial behaviour." Naruto explained, frowning at the lazy Nin.

"Oh that?" Sakura laughed. "We're all used to that. We think it's a privilege if we see him twice in one fortnight." Sakura smiled at Neji, whose eyes softened. Naruto, noticing this, poked Sakura's shoulder gently.

"Are you sure you want us to have lunch with you? An anniversary lunch is supposed to be a quiet, romantic affair." Sakura shook her head as did Neji.

"We have a quiet, romantic dinner set up for tonight, so really we don't mind. We'd love it if you had lunch with us. We haven't had a meal with you for three years, and as for Shikamaru, we haven't had a meal with him in months." Neji explained. Shikamaru grunted.

"There's been no birthdays." He shrugged. Naruto sighed and kicked him.

"Ow!" He jumped slightly in his seat, glaring at her. "What was that for?" She grinned at him.

"Do you remember when you told me you were going to learn my secret?" He nodded, his eyes sparkling with memory.

"Well I've decided that I'm going to make you more sociable." He groaned.

"But I don't like being sociable." He told her. She shrugged.

"Tough. Friends are important." She waved her finger at him while Sakura and Neji laughed. Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome woman." After placing their orders, the conversation turned to other things.

"I was surprised when I came in for some documents this morning." Sakura told her. She'd come in to the mission room for documents at about 10 o'clock. "I would have thought you would have argued at being stuck behind a desk and not doing something exciting and adventurous."

Naruto snorted. "After three years of constantly moving around and not staying any place for more than a few months, I've come to appreciate small breaks. Sitting behind that desk all day is a holiday in my eyes." She explained. Neji grinned.

"You're not going to get lazy and stop training are you?" He asked teasingly. Naruto looked at him with wide eyes.

"And waste all three years hard work? Hardly. I didn't train this morning but starting tomorrow I'll start up my regular training and make this one come with me." She said pointing at Shikamaru who sighed but didn't complain.

"Ah Naruto, I don't think Shikamaru would be able to keep up." Sakura said, with an apologetic glance at Shikamaru. Naruto chuckled.

"Sure he will." Neji and Sakura looked at her blankly. She blinked at them.

"You mean none of you have noticed how fit he is?" Sakura turned and looked at Shikamaru hard before gasping and blinking. When had his thinness been replaced by slim, lean, and toned muscle? Naruto nodded.

"He is as fit as Kakai-sensei at least, and he's a lot more powerful than he was three years ago." Naruto grinned at the lazy young man who shrugged gracefully. "He'll keep up." She assured them just as their food arrived. Shikamaru's eye lit up at the sight of his favourite meal, while Naruto dug into a western meal she was fond of. She had no idea who had come up with spaghetti and meatballs, but whoever they were they were a genius. Sakura had a garden salad while Neji had smoked salmon and his own little salad.

"What are you eating Naruto?" Sakura asked, looking at it.

"Spaghetti and meatballs." The young woman responded as she sucked up a long noodle. "Try it. It's a great western meal. Spaghetti is a type of noodle that westerners make, and the meatballs are made of beef that's minced and then rolled into balls with herbs and spices, then it's all mixed together with a thick tomato and herb sauce, with cheese added for flavour." Sakura used her chopsticks to break off part of a meatball and then scoop the spaghetti up around it. Her eyes widened with delight as she sucked the spaghetti up, while Neji leaned over and used his finger to gently wipe some sauce from the corner of her mouth.

"That was delicious." Sakura breathed. Naruto nodded.

"I can make it for you if you like?" She offered. Sakura blinked.

"You can make this?" Naruto nodded.

"Mine tastes a little different to this though. I think I use different herbs. And I buy my spaghetti from the western food aisles in grocery stores. I think the restaurant makes their own spaghetti." The owners of the restaurant were westerners. Their daughter, the waitress who had served them, caught Naruto's eye.

"Excuse me?" Naruto called over to her.

"Can I help? Is there something wrong with the spaghetti?" The girl, asked, her accent thick. Naruto shook her head.

"No the spaghetti's fine. I was just wondering if I could ask you something." Surprise registered in the girl's face before she nodded. She was a pretty girl, slim with big green eyes and hair a shade of red that no one else had, except for her mother.

"Where are you from?" Naruto asked. A smile tugged the girl's mouth.

"I was born in a country called Ireland, but moved to a country far down South called Australia when I was a child. Then we came here." Naruto nodded.

"I've heard of those countries." She said with a grin. The girl smiled. Not many shinobi had.

"Um, one more question. Where does spaghetti and meatballs originate from?" The girl thought for a minute.

"I'm pretty sure it originates from Italy. Or is it Greece?" Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji were wide eyed at all of the strange names of places they'd never even heard of. "It's either from Italy or Greece." The girl told Naruto.

"Thank you." Naruto told the girl in her own language, English. Her green eyes widened before she responded in the same language.

"No worries." The other three listened to the strange language. It was a lilting graceful language, and yet guttural at the same time with the words and sounds have growling tones to them. There were more sounds that the other three had ever heard. They listened as the two young women talked, trying to discern what they were saying, but it was hopeless. After the girls had finished their conversation, the other girl went into the kitchen, and Naruto turned to the other three.

"What language is that?" Sakura asked wide eyed.

"English."

"But she said she was from places called Ireland and Australia?" Neji said, pronouncing the words, I-re-la-n-d and A-ooh-s-tra-lee-a. She shook her head.

"It's pronounced I-r-lan-d and Oh-stray-leah." She said slowly and clearly. They practiced saying both words.

"The Irish, the people from Ireland, have their own language, or dialect, but for the most part, they speak English. English is the language of the British, who conquered a lot of other countries, including Australia, and taught them their tongue. There are an indigenous people in Australia who speak many different dialects, but the main language there is English. I learnt the language when I went overseas with Ero-sensei to the country called England, or Britain, where the British people come from. It's an incredibly hard language to learn." She told them. "While we have one sound for one symbol, the English language often times has two or three sounds for that symbol, or letter. Many of their words sound the same but are spelt differently, or are spelt the same and have different meanings." She shook her head.

"I had a headache for months trying to understand the language."

"What's that thing you said to her? Um, thank you?" Neji said slowly, trying to copy the way she'd said the words.

"Arigato." She told them. "Thank you is the English translation of Arigato." They nodded and Sakura shook her head slightly.

"You've been to so many places and learnt so many things." She said her eyes a little dim at the realisation that she would never get to go to those places. Naruto smiled at her.

"Yes I have, but none of those places or things have ever been as beautiful as my home and my friends here." She told the pink haired young woman honestly. Sakura smiled at that. Soon after, Naruto and Shikamaru paid for their meal, said goodbye to Sakura and Neji and went back to the mission room, Naruto slipping Kusachi and Rukia a meatball each that she'd saved. The two foxes had been waiting patiently outside the restaurant, aware they weren't allowed inside until Naruto had asked the owner for permission. They gobbled up the meatballs and followed Naruto and Shikamaru, licking the sauce off of their canines.

"Can you teach me this language?" Shikamaru asked her suddenly, just as they walked into the building. She nodded.

"Sure. But it will take a lot of work and time. I can also teach you another way of communication that the British call Morse code." She told him with a grin, knowing exactly why he wanted to learn the language.

"What's that?" He asked curiously. She tapped her fingers gently on her arm in a pattern.

"It's a means of talking through beeping, tapping, flashing or knocking. What I just said then by tapping my fingers was 'you've got sauce at the corner of your mouth.'" His fingers went up to his mouth where he found the slight stain from the sauce and rubbed it off. She grinned at him.

"That will be really useful to learn." He told her as they went into the mission room. Naruto was taking a nap when Konohamaru's team came bursting in. The Daimyo's wife wasn't there yet to pick up Tora. Naruto sat up blinking as Konohamaru presented her with the cat. Kusachi and Rukia lifted their heads off of their paws from where they were curled around Naruto's feet, sneezed at the cat and went back to sleep. Tora hissed and spat at Konohamaru, scratching him before getting away and jumping up on to the table where Naruto was leaning sleepily on one hand. Tora butted her head gently under the young woman's chin, rubbing her head against Naruto's chin as a deep purr emanated from the cat across the room. Naruto smiled at the cat and scratched her gently behind the ears.

"Hello Tora. Are you up to mischief again?" She asked the cat, who miaowed and head butted her fingers gently.

"Well we caught the cat! Sensei said something about a record." Konohamaru demanded glaring at the cat.

"Sorry Konohamaru, but you haven't broken the record." Naruto told him with a smile. The boy frowned.

"What is the record and who holds it?" Konohamaru's female teammate asked.

"Why don't you go look over on that pin up board over there?" Shikamaru suggested. "There's a record of Tora catching times over there, and the current reigning time and team happen to be on there." Team Konohamaru went over to the board, Ebisu following them curiously.

"TWO MINUTES! TEAM SEVEN UNDER HATAKE KAKASHI!" Konohamaru yelled before turning to Naruto.

"Oneechan how did you do that?" He asked with surprise. Naruto shrugged and smiled as she continued patting the purring cat.

"Easy. I'm a shinobi and a shinobi must look underneath the underneath." She told the boy cryptically. His eye started twitching while Ebisu smiled at the gem of wisdom she'd just provided the youngsters with. Konohamaru's team handed in their mission scroll and left, muttering, done for the day. Naruto had fallen asleep when a hand fell on her shoulder. She was instantly awake and the person who had touched her was an imprint on the wall. Sasuke coughed as he fell from the hole he'd made in the wall trying to get his breath back. Everyone stared at the display of strength from the young woman.

"Gomen ANBU-san." She told him, even though she recognised who it was. The ANBU waved a hand at her.

"Don't worry about it. I woke you up after all. I should have been expecting such a response from a well-trained shinobi." He told her with a bow. He knew that she knew who he was, but he also knew she wasn't going to mention it out loud. Tsunade tapped her chin lightly, eyeing the whole in the wall.

"You know Gaki, I should have thought of this earlier, but we really should test your abilities." Naruto shrugged.

"No offense Baa-chan, but I don't want to be tested. Not only do I not want to hurt someone who's precious to me, but I also don't want anyone knowing my skills." Her blue eyes were guarded slightly. Tsunade opened her mouth and Naruto held up a hand. "I know that as Hokage, you need to be informed of my skills and power, but over the past three years, Ero-sensei has taught me to keep my skills a secret for my own protection. Why don't we just leave it at 'I can defend myself and anyone else I need to' for now?" Tsunade shook her head.

"I wish I could Naruto, but there's a law stating that no shinobi is allowed to withhold such information from their Hokage. You've only been here a day, so there hasn't been a real problem. I will discuss the matter with Jiraiya and let you know what we come up with." She told the young woman who shrugged even though her eyes were still guarded.

"If that's what you want Baa-chan, then you must do what you think is right as Hokage of this village." Tsunade sighed in relief at the girl. Shikamaru elbowed Naruto and nodded at the ANBU. There were four of them. One had a wolf on his mask, Sasuke. Shino's mask was of a bug, Lee's was of a panda (A/N: Lee's mask might confuse you a bit. Lee is a master of Drunken Fist, and pandas are quite often depicted as the animal of drunken fist fighting. I think.) And Sai's mask was of a strange bird. She grinned at them all as she went through the B-ranked missions, whispering with Shikamaru, whose eyes twinkled.

"I don't like that grin on her face." Sasuke muttered to the other three, who nodded.

"Naruto's up to her old tricks again." Lee noted.

"How many missions did you four want?" Shikamaru asked them while Naruto leafed through the mission list.

"Two missions please Nara-san." Sasuke replied politely. All Chunin, Jounin and ANBU generally referred to each other by their last names when they were at work, except partners like Naruto and Shikamaru who used each other's first names.

Naruto picked out two scrolls and handed them to Lee who bowed.

"Arigato Namikaze Uzumaki-san." He told her politely.

"I hope the missions are satisfactory Panda-san." She replied to him. He nodded and looked through the scrolls before whistling in appreciation.

"These are more than satisfactory Namikaze Uzumaki-san. You have given us a welcome challenge." He told her honestly before the four bowed and vanished.

"Naruto what are you going to do about your last name?" Tsunade asked with amusement. Naruto turned to her with a small smile.

"I was going to ask you if you could have the Uzumaki removed. I'm sure Kaasan wouldn't mind me not using her maiden name." Tsunade nodded.

"I'll have it changed by the morning." She told the young woman who bowed from her seat. Tsunade eyed the hole in the wall again. Naruto had done that with one hand while half-asleep. Tsunade pitied the person who ever got on the woman's bad side when she was awake.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: So there you go, there is chapter twelve for you guys. I apologise if I don't update for the next few days, I feel like hell and depending on what the doctor says, I'll probably be asleep most of the time. So enjoy this chapter haha!)


	14. Chapter 13

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Hi guys, sorry it's taken a couple of days to update, but this is chapter 13. I really hope you guys are liking what I'm doing with this story, and where it's going with character development and so forth. Anyway, I'm going to a house inspection tonight, and tomorrow I'm going shopping with some and we're going to see a movie (The Lone Ranger of course) so I won't be able to update until late tomorrow night or Thursday! Anyway, enjoy this chapter!)

**Chapter 13**

When their mission was over, Naruto and Shikamaru left, both yawning, with the two foxes in tow. They sat down on a bench in the park, watching the little kids play on the playground. The same playground they'd very happily clambered all over when they were that age.

"So are you really alright with Tsunade-sama's ruling on the partnership. I mean the whole sleeping at each other's house thing." Shikamaru asked her, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at the clouds. Naruto put her chin on her hand and watched the kids play with a smile.

"It doesn't really bother me." She answered honestly. "Although that could have more to do with I know being around you 24/7 6 days a week isn't going to annoy me like most other people would if I was partnered to them." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to the children. Her hand reached down and gently she scratched first Kusachi, and then Rukia, behind the ears. "What about you? Does it bother you?" He shook his head.

"Nah because I know that besides from making me more sociable and getting me to train more, you're not going to try and change me. Most other people would try and change my lazy ways that don't bother you in the least." He explained, rolling his head around his neck slightly, cracking the kinks in it. "Oh by the way, by being my partner you're now a proctor in the Chunin exams. Tsunade has also signed us up to take the Jounin exams together and then I believe she intends to make us proctors in that exam as well." Naruto nodded.

"That's okay. It should be interesting." She told him before standing and stretching as she glanced at the sun's position. "So who's place tonight? Mine or yours?" She asked him as Kusachi and Rukia stood, shaking out their fur vigorously.

"Yours." Shikamaru said, stretching slightly as he stood up. "We'll swap places each night if that's okay?" She nodded and he reached down to touch his toes. "If it's alright with you, we'll stop off at my place on the way to yours so I can grab some stuff. Tomorrow you'll want to pack enough stuff so that you'll always have clean clothes at mine as well as at yours." She nodded and stretched her arms up above her head, reaching up high on her tiptoes.

"Sure thing. We'll stop off at the pharmacy on the way and I'll grab some shampoo and stuff to put in your spare shower." She told him with a grin. When they entered the pharmacy, it was to find Kiba and Hinata shopping together for some things. The couple winked at them as the two grabbed up the brands of shampoo, conditioner and soap that they used to leave at each other's house.

"Do you remember when we had to do that?" Kiba told Hinata, grinning at Naruto and Shikamaru. Hinata nodded with a smile she was hiding behind her hand.

"Just wait." She informed Shikamaru. "It'll get to the point that when she runs out of shampoo and conditioner she'll just use yours." Naruto chuckled at that. Shikamaru smirked slightly.

"I think it'll be the other way round." Naruto told the girl as she paid for her things. "He's the lazy one in this partnership not me." Shikamaru frowned at her.

"I don't want to smell like a girl." He told her.

"Why not?" She grinned impishly. "I'm sure you've been mistaken for a girl before if you've had your hair down outside of your house." She teased him. He blushed and looked away.

"He has." Kiba muttered to Naruto. "He got hit on by a total of ten men before they realised he was a guy not a girl." Naruto was biting her hand to keep from laughing out loud as her shoulders shook with laughter. Shikamaru just shrugged. He was too lazy to care really. After paying for their things, Naruto and Shikamaru made their way to his place. While he packed a bag of his things, she put her toiletries in the spare bathroom. His place looked a lot like hers, only smaller and had 'bachelor' written all over it. Not physically of course, but there was nothing feminine in the place, except for her area of the house of course. She grinned as she read the 'Naruto's area' signs all over the place. When they got to her place, Shikamaru disappeared into his bedroom and bathroom to unpack his things and change while Naruto made tea. He soon appeared, sniffing appreciatively while dressed in loose pants and a long sleeved shirt. She grinned at him as he sat eagerly at the island bench in the kitchen, his eyes firmly glued on the food she was cooking. She put his tea in front of him, along with a cup of tea before opening the balcony door and letting Kusachi and Rukia out to go hunting again. Dropping down beside him with her plate and cup of tea, they ate in relative quiet. After tea, she did the dishes while he went to his room. Once she was done, she wandered into the study.

He was sitting at his desk, going over paperwork. Without looking up he pointed at her desk, where he had halved the paperwork and left her share for her to do. Looking at it she sighed and disappeared into her bedroom. Shikamaru leaned back on his chair and pulled the band from his hair, running his fingers through the strands of long brown hair that came to just below his shoulders. He glanced over as Naruto came back into the room. She'd changed out of her normal clothes into baggy pants that she informed him westerners called 'track pants' or 'trackies', a pair of socks and a loose jumper. Her long blonde hair was braided over one shoulder to keep it out of her face as she wrote. She winked at him as she gave him a mug of hot chocolate, blowing gently on her own mug as she curled up on her desk chair. It was nearing winter in Konoha, which meant rain and cool nights. She had discovered to her delight that morning, that her friends had had a start of the art air con system installed in her roof. She turned it on before she came into the room, and before long they were both warm and sleepy, but pushing themselves to finished the paperwork. Tomorrow they were being sent around the entire village on odd jobs. Once the paperwork was done, Naruto took their empty mugs to the kitchen after murmuring good night to Shikamaru.

The next morning, Naruto woke Shikamaru up at five, her hair up in its usual ponytail and with a different set of gear from her everyday gear the he decided must have been her exercise gear. She shook him awake and gave him a mug of hot, strong coffee before waiting impatiently in the lounge room for him to get dressed. Once he was done, she dragged him out for a morning run. Kusachi and Rukia went off to training ground 44 for their breakfast. Shikamaru shivered as he ran alongside her. He knew that he'd soon warm up and that by the time Naruto was finished making him keep up with her training, he would be covered in sweat and exhausted. As fit as he was, he was nowhere near as fit as she was. He didn't mind her getting him to join her in training though. After the failed mission to rescue Sasuke that had been done by him and the other boys and Sakura, he had been taking his training and getting stronger seriously, and if anyone could help to obtain strength it was the woman jogging effortlessly next to him with a loping fox like gait, her breathing deep and even, little clouds of steam escaping her mouth as she breathed. They were on their fifteenth lap when Gai and Kakashi went past in the opposite direction. He and Naruto had started their run at her doorstep, and were working their way around the inside of the village wall, on the outskirts of the village itself, up and over the Hokage monument, down the other side and back around the village in a large continuous circle. He soon stopped shivering. By their 60th lap he sweating, but he didn't complain. Naruto watched him from the corner of her eye as they jogged, wondering if she was pushing him too far. Still it was a treat to see him actually trying. He wasn't slouching for once, but standing tall and straight, his full height shown. He was rather graceful, she noted, never tripping or stumbling, just taking long measured strides as his hands swung by his sides. There was a light sheen of sweat on him and his breathing had changed ever so slightly as he started to tire, but his eyes were determined and he said nothing, just kept pace with her. His long hair was up as usual. At lap 150, they stopped passing Kakashi and Gai. Shikamaru was tired, but he was going to keep up with her if it killed him. Naruto, still watching him, was worried that was what would happen. They soon discovered that Kakashi, Gai, Tsunade and some others had set themselves up on the top of the Yondaime's head on Hokage monument and were playing a card game as they exercised, watching the young woman push Shikamaru through his paces. They were all amazed that Shikamaru was actually still running, and not only that, but that he was putting _effort_ in. They'd all tried to interest Shikamaru in training or exercise at one time or another, and besides the girl running beside him, the only people who had managed with even minimal success had been his father Shikaku and Kakashi. He knew that it was also a good way for everyone watching to judge the young woman's skills. By lap 170, all of the Konoha 12 was gathered to watch the sight, all of their old senseis and Hiruzen Sarutobi was there as well. At lap 200, they stopped when they reached the others.

"Stop Shikamaru, before you pass out. You don't have to keep up the entire way the first day. If you want to get stronger, we'll do this everyday bit by bit until eventually you're as fit as I am. But you've got to take it nice and slow." She told him, not even out of breath. He was sweating, and had turned slightly red as he panted, trying to get rid of a stitch. He nodded slightly and she grinned.

"Now that you're done jogging for the day, I want 150 push ups, the same amount of sit ups, and lots of stretches okay? I'll be passing by to make sure you're doing them." She told him before she turned and continued jogging. Shikamaru dropped to the ground and started the push ups.

"Who are you and what did you do with Shikamaru?" Ino asked suspiciously. Shikamaru grunted and ignored her, concentrating on the push ups. Naruto would glance at him with a twinkle in her eyes as she passed, moving noticeably quicker, they noticed then she had while with Shikamaru. It became aware to everyone, when she hit her 250th lap that they could all stand to get a bit fitter.

"Why are you so willing to do it when she tells you and not when the rest of us do?" Ino demanded. Shikamaru was up to his sit ups and ignored her again. Chouji rested a hand on his fiancé's shoulder.

"She inspires him to push himself harder and get stronger is why. She inspires all of us to try and improve and Shika's no different. She doesn't yell at him that he needs to get fit and stop being lazy. She has no problems with his laziness. Because of that, he's willing to put more effort in then when you yell at him like a banshee that he's a lazy sod who needs to put the effort in." Chouji explained. Shikamaru grunted slightly as he finished the sit ups, Naruto giving him the thumbs up as she ran past. He grinned in thanks before his eyes widened as she tripped forward. Everyone gasped as she simply let herself fall, one hand hitting the ground and pushing her up into a graceful flip before she somersaulted in mid-air to her feet, still running. He sighed and reached down, touching his toes, before leaning back cracking his back. He set to work on stretching, easing aching muscles that wore sore from the beating he'd just given them.

"If there's anyone who is strong enough to protect themselves and others it's her." He began quietly. "So, who better to learn how to get strong from?" His exercising done, he flopped to his back and put his arms behind his head, his gaze on the sky as it lightened. It was only 6 o'clock. He was amazed that he had just run 200 laps of Konoha, done 150 push ups and sit ups each in an hour. What was more amazing was that Naruto was up to lap _350_ in an hour. 50 laps later, she came to a halt beside them all, and put her hands on her knees as she panted, trying to get her breath back.

"It takes you _400_ laps of a village to get exhausted?" Tsunade demanded, well aware that not even she was that fit. Naruto nodded.

"Sensei demanded that I had to be able to run an entire day at a steady pace with only minimal breaks." She explained once she'd got her breath back. "It was one of the first things I had to learn to do." She dropped to the ground, going through push ups at a faster rate than Shikamaru, who had rolled on to his stomach to watch her with the others.

"Why do you need to be able to run so far and for so long?" Sasuke asked in surprise, She grunted as she answered, focusing on them and the exercises at the same moment.

"Because at 13 I had no hopes of taking on any of the Akatsuki, so my only option would have been to run away. And as we all know how fast some of the members of that organisation are," She was referring to Uchiha Itachi, who was the fasted member of Akatsuki. "It was necessary. I had to be able to outrun Itachi." They watched the muscles in her arms, muscles that usually didn't stand out too sharply, move under her skin. 350 push ups later she changed over to sit ups, which she did differently to Shikamaru. Whilst he had simply done it the normal way of holding his hands behind his head and using his stomach muscles to pull himself up into a sitting position without moving his legs, she would sit up and touch her left elbow to her right knee, lay flat, sit up, touch her right elbow to her left knee and continue in that pattern of left/right, right/left. She did that for 350 sit ups and then started stretching. She dropped gracefully into sideways splits, leaning to her left and right before swapping to a forward split and leaning forward and backward.

"Naruto stand up." Tsunade ordered. She did so and the older woman walked over to her and lifted up her shirt. They could all see smooth tanned skin over a flat belly. There was a slight 'v' indentation where her hips began. "Tense." Tsunade ordered her. They watched as muscle that hadn't been obvious before, shifted under her skin to form a 6 pack and solidly toned abdominal muscles. Everyone whistled.

"You make me feel so inferior." Sasuke informed her with a slight pout. Naruto shrugged, a sad look crossing her face.

"I don't do this to make people feel bad about their own bodies, or feel that they have to push themselves to death to keep up you know," She added looking pointedly at Shikamaru. "I do it because sensei told me to."

"What kind of training did he have you doing?" Kakashi asked curiously. She thought for a moment.

"Every kind of training he could think of." She explained. "He even cut down on his peeping and book writing." Everyone blinked. Jiraiya had taken her training seriously, it seemed. Naruto stretched lightly as Tsunade let go of her shirt, everyone noticing the slight ripple of muscle under her skin now that they were looking for it. She looked soft and delicate, but was in fact strong. She cracked her neck before nudging Shikamaru with her foot.

"Come on you. Time for some breakfast I think." She bowed to the others as Shikamaru got to his feet before taking a few steps back and taking a running leap off of the edge of the monument, her whoop for joy echoing across the village. Shikamaru followed her, shaking his head as he muttered about troublesome women.

"Oi Shika! Don't forget about lunch today!" Chouji called after him. Shikamaru waved a hand to show he'd heard and understood as he followed his partner across rooftops while she flipped, cartwheeled and somersaulted her way back to her apartment. Everyone on top of the head shook their head at Naruto's antics before going separate ways, all of them thinking about how they could improve in their training. Kakashi and Gai shared a look before they went back to their morning jog with renewed determination. Shikamaru took a shower while Naruto cooked breakfast. He discovered, as he was sitting at the island bench while she cooked pancakes, that even when she was covered in sweat from a morning run, that she still smelt nice. He also discovered why Naruto could always eat so much. He ate more that morning that he though he ever had in one meal in his entire life. She had chuckled at his face expression.

"No wonder you're always so hungry if you were always training." He commented through a full mouth. She nodded. She had cooked a mountain of pancakes, expecting him to be hungry, and she was right.

"You'll find that you'll eat a lot more if you train with me." She told him honestly, covering her pancakes in butter. He shrugged.

"That's okay. I'd really like to train with you if you're alright with that."

"Why? Why train with me? I kept in touch every once in a while over the three years as you know, and I can remember more than a few letters I got from different people, who whinged about your lack of motivation towards training." She said, pointing her fork at him. He had been surprised to find that she had western style eating utensils. As for her keeping in touch, he did know. He'd kept every single one of her letters. They were at the back of the top drawer in his bedside table. Not even Temari had ever read them or seen them. For some reason they were something he'd kept to himself. He shrugged.

"I trained with my Otousan and with Kakashi over the three years. But as for why train with you, because if I train with you, I _know_ I'm going to get stronger. No offense to any of our friends, or anyone else in the village, but if I want to get strong, my best bet for managing it is with you." He told her bluntly, waving his fork back at her. She smiled at that. If you took her out of the picture, then Sakura was the strongest of the Konoha 12, with Neji and Sasuke following in at a close second and Lee in third. But all of them would admit that the blonde girl blew them all out of the water.

(A/N: It has come to my attention that it may appear as though Naruto is unfairly strong or powerful. I don't think she is, as I've mentioned before. I think considering as she had been learning to fight and protect herself since she was three, her strength and power is accurate for her. You've also got to remember that she's always getting very seriously injured and healing it away within minutes thanks to Kyuubi, hinting to the enhancements he has done to her body, meaning she has a greater capability for getting stronger than everyone else.)

After breakfast, Naruto left the dishes to Shikamaru while she showered and changed. He let Kusachi and Rukia in and got the paperwork from the study, leaving it in the kitchen so he wouldn't forget it before taking a nap on the couch. Naruto flicked his nose gently to wake him up as she leant on the back of the couch. Yawning, he stood and went to the kitchen, grabbing the paperwork as Naruto turned off the air-con before they left, locking the door behind them. Kusachi and Rukia, both in their armour again, stayed close to Naruto's heels as they passed through the village.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: There you go, that is chapter thirteen. I really do hope you guys are enjoying this story! Until next time, enjoy! P.S. I would love to get some reviews from you guys telling me what you think about the story and what I'm doing with it? Please? )


	15. Chapter 14

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Here it guys, chapter fourteen! Sorry it's taken me a while to update, but I hope the length of this chapter makes up for that! Enjoy!)

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I've been home for three days today, and it already feels like I never left." She told Shikamaru who grinned.

"I know exactly what you mean." He replied as they dodged around a busily chatting group of women who all turned to glance appreciatively at the tall young man. He sighed at their reactions.

"I preferred things the way it was at the academy, when guys like Sasuke and Neji got all the attention, and guys like me weren't good looking enough to warrant female attention." He remarked to her. She snorted.

"It wasn't that you weren't good looking, because you were, it was just that Sasuke and Neji were the rookies of the year. Girls at the age only care about that sort of thing." She told him with a grin.

"You thought I was good looking?" He asked her, shocked.

"Uh huh. Still think it actually." She teased him with a wink. He blinked at her. She chuckled and elbowed him lightly.

"Shika you act like girls don't compliment you often." He shook his head at the nickname and the compliment.

"They don't. And since when do you call me Shika?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her eyes partially hidden from view by her long eyelashes.

"Since now. Unless you don't want me to? She questioned. He shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me. As long as I get to call you Naru." A grin spread across her face.

"Deal." She told him just as they entered the Hokage tower. They entered the mission room with the documents to find that today it was Sakura and Tenten's turn to help with mission hand out. Naruto grinned foxily at the two young women while Shikamaru handed Tsunade the documents.

"Sakura, Tenten, give them enough missions to keep the two of them busy for the day." Tsunade ordered the two women who nodded and went to work finding good missions for the two; while Naruto watched the people come and go, kneeling as she scratched behind both of her foxes ears. Once they had their missions, they left the tower and set about doing the missions, both of them creating several Kage Bunshin to make the workload easier on them. Naruto grinned at Shikamaru with unconcealed pride at his ability to do one of her favourite jutsus. They wandered down to the main gate with the same type of documents Sakura had taken there two days before. They returned to the Hokage tower and dropped off the return documents. They cleaned up several of the training grounds, something that was too hard a task for Genin, but easy for two Chunin. For lunch that day, they met Chouji at his favourite all you can eat bbq restaurant, and Ino joined them. After lunch, it was off to the academy, where they'd been signed up as Iruka's helper for the afternoon thanks to their last mission scroll. They dropped the completed mission scrolls off at the mission room just as ANBU team Assault, comprising of Sasuke, Lee, Shino and Sai, came into the room. They were covered in blood and looked exhausted. They nodded to Naruto and Shikamaru as they passed them, but otherwise said nothing. Naruto glanced over her shoulder at them as she left before following Shikamaru to his place again. She unpacked her stuff that she'd put in a scroll that morning while Shikamaru cooked tea, emerging from her room in another pair of trackies and loose jumper with socks on and her hair in its braid. He was already in his loose pants and long sleeved shirt. That night they followed the same routine as the night before, a routine they'd very quickly, easily and comfortably fall into and continue for many years. There was a comfortable silence between them most of the time, as they didn't feel the need to constantly talk to each other, more than willing just to sit quietly near each other working on paper work or reading in the lounge room.

There was an argument that night about Naruto's choice in music, as Shikamaru discovered that she had a fondness for western 'rock' music, which was comprised of loud, aggressive singing, and far too much guitar, bass and drums for his liking. He soon gave into the argument however, and Naruto, seeing that he wasn't going to argue with her, took a step back from the argument. She left the room for a few minutes, thinking, as Shikamaru blinked in shock. Every other woman he knew continued to yell at him after he'd stopped arguing. Temari had, and it had always annoyed her even more when he stopped arguing and just stopped listening, or as he sometimes had done during their arguments, left the room. She'd be angry at him for hours for ignoring the argument. He sighed. He'd had so many arguments with Temari, even if he hadn't really 'argued' as such. Only once had he ever yelled at Temari and not dropped the argument, and that had been when she'd told him that he was either moving to Suna to marry her and live there, or they were breaking up. So Naruto dropping the argument as well surprised him. He was even more surprised when a few minutes later she came back and offered him a compromise. He'd let her play her music every once in a while as long as it wasn't too loud, and she'd let him play his music without argument. He agreed to the compromise at once.

The next morning, their routine was the same, and that day became their guard duty day down at the main gate and one of the two days they'd have Ichiraku Ramen for lunch.

The following months they fell into a steady routine, and they spent so much time together, that it became rare to see the two apart. Shikamaru was looking fitter and stronger than ever, and was now able to keep up with Naruto in the morning for longer, although of course, she was now able to do more than she had when she'd first returned home. Sakura and Neji were married in August, and Naruto was one of her bridesmaids while Shikamaru was one of the Groomsmen. The sight of the blonde young woman in the gorgeous pale pink Kimono with darker pink and red Sakura blossoms and her hair up in an intricate bun with two lovely pale chopsticks while wearing neat little slippers with her arm twined through Shikamaru's who wore his long brown hair down and neatly brushed, while wearing the formal robes that all of the Groomsmen had been required to wear and a formal pair of men's slippers, had sighs of envy resounding in both the male and female population watching. Sakura had whispered to Naruto, asking her when her marriage to Shikamaru was going to be, causing the blonde to choke on the piece of wedding cake she'd just started eating while her cheeks turned a lovely shade of red. She glared up at Sakura as the bride pounded her back gently, laughing at her friend's face expression. It was obvious to everyone else, although not to the two in question, that Naruto and Shikamaru would make a great couple, so the other members of the Konoha 12 all grinned evilly and started concocting plans to get the two together.

September brought with it Shikamaru's 17th birthday the day before Ino's 17th birthday and everyone spent the two days incredibly drunk. October brought with it Naruto's birthday, and everyone planned a surprise party for her. The morning of the 10th, Shikamaru woke up to find her gone. There was a note on the island bench top.

_Shika,_ it read,

_I know you've all got some big party planned for me (you all suck at being secretive by the way) and I'll hopefully be back in time to not upset anyone by not appearing at my own party. I'm not in the village, so there's no point sending a search party out for me or anything like that. I have something I have to do today. I'll explain tonight maybe. If I'm not home by five, then you can send a search party out, but it shouldn't be necessary. I'll have Kusachi and Rukia with me. I'll be back soon._

_ Naru._

He had sighed and shoved the note in his pocket before leaving to tell the others that she wouldn't be around for the day. They'd argued and made up plans for tracking her down, before Jiraiya had appeared and told them all _very_ seriously, that if they cared about Naruto at all they would leave her alone for the day, that she didn't think of her birthday as a day of presents and laughter but a day of pain and mourning. They all went quiet at that and spent the day hanging around Shikamaru's apartment, where she was supposed to be spending the night. When she came in at three o'clock, quiet and withdrawn with eyes red from crying they were all shocked. They had never, _ever_ seen her cry, so just the evidence that she had cried recently, shocked them all to the core. She'd almost burst into fresh tears when she'd received a tight hug from Shikamaru, who'd just held her, his chin resting on the top of her head while his fingers traced soothing circles on her back. Her head was buried against his chest as she sniffled, fighting off tears desperately. She cleared her throat and took deep breaths, ignoring the fact that her breathing was ragged and broken from crying. The two had stayed that way for a full five minutes, displaying just how close they were. It became apparent to everyone else at that moment, that while she showed all of them smiles, she was comfortable enough around him to let him see her true feelings about things. After she'd gotten control of herself she had pulled back from Shikamaru, wiping at her face while she mumbled thank you to him. He smiled at her slightly; his eyes soft as he grabbed a tissue and used it wipe her face before holding it over her nose and telling her to blow. At the look she gave him, he grinned broadly and let her take the tissue from him before she blew into and then binned it. Turning to the others, she apologised to them profusely before telling them she'd get changed. It was only then that they noticed her clothes were dirty and torn. She nodded quietly when she was told to change into one of her new Kimonos.

When she re-appeared, her usual smile was on her face, but for once it wasn't just Shikamaru who could see that it didn't reach her eyes. Her mouth smiled but her eyes didn't. That didn't mean she didn't look gorgeous, because she did. At now seventeen, Naruto had reached her maximum height of 5 feet and three inches. Her skin was a flawless coffee coloured tan. She wore a pale kimono and slippers, her long blonde hair left down but with small flowers dotted in it. Around her neck hung the necklace Shikamaru had bought her for Sakura's wedding. It was a simple, pretty necklace, with a long slender silver chain. Hanging on the end was a small pure silver charm with a blue stone that matched her eyes imbedded into it and the words 'Shika and Naru' on the back. She hadn't taken it off since the day he gave it to her. It was the only jewellery she owned or wore. She rolled her eyes as they blindfolded her, telling her it was a surprise. Kusachi and Rukia followed close by her side as she gingerly walked out of her front door. She had her hands out to feel her way around, but forgot about the steps. Her foot hit nothing but air, with all her weight behind it. She gasped, shock and fear, along with adrenaline surging through her body as she fell forwards. Only for strong, calloused hands to catch her in mid-air.

"Easy Naruto." Shikamaru's amused voice rumbled as he held her from falling. Her breathing, accelerated from the shock, evened out at the sound of his voice. His deep, quiet voice was a soothing one that she took comfort in.

"Arigato Shikamaru." She told him quietly, one hand moving behind her to latch onto his shirt.

"How'd you know it was me?" Was his quiet rumble of a voice. "It could have been Neji or Sasuke who caught you just then. So how'd you know it was me?" She reached up with her free hand and tapped the side of her nose with one finger. He chuckled, a deep, rumbling laugh. No one had been quite sure when it had happened, but Shikamaru had one of the deepest voices out of the men in their group.

"You and that nose of yours." She smiled at that before he took a step back, drawing her away from the step. She turned slightly, her fingers tracing across his chest to his upper right arm, which she clung to with both hands.

"Be my eyes for me please?" She asked him, wrapping one arm around his while her other gripped the sleeve of that same arm.

"Of course. How else do you think you're going to get to the surprise?" He asked as the others chuckled. He led her down the stairwell, and the others took more than a few photos of the pair as Naruto clung to him, squeaking each time they took a step downwards and her foot hit nothing but air before sinking and landing lightly on the step. When they reached the ground floor landing that opened to the outside world Naruto stopped, her body tense.

"Come on." Shikamaru tugged her forward but she didn't move. Everything in her body was telling her not to go outside. She had never been outside her apartment for her birthday while in the village. The three years outside the village with Jiraiya they had celebrated quietly, but she had _never_ set foot outside this building when inside the village.

"I can't." She whispered.

"Why not?"

She started to tremble.

"Can't leave the apartment on this day." She whispered.

"But we heard you celebrated your birthday with Jiraiya over the three years." Sasuke commented. She nodded vigorously.

"Because no one knew that today was a day of mourning for my Otousan and victory over Kyuubi." She whispered quietly. "Outside the village on my birthday, I wasn't hurt in anyway because they didn't know I'm a bakemono." Eyes widened. None of them had ever heard her talk about herself that way. Except Shikamaru who sighed.

"I've told you Naruto, you're not a bakemono." He told her. She shrugged.

"I know that, but the people out there don't." She nodded with her chin towards the door. "Jiji told me I was always safer in the apartment on this day, that I shouldn't leave it." She murmured turning slightly and letting go of Shikamaru, making her way slowly back up the stairs. A hand caught her wrist and yanked her around and down so fast that she fell into the person. Shikamaru, she realised as she breathed in his unique smell of grass and spice. Of course. It was always Shikamaru. He'd been there for her for the last months in a way that no one had ever been there before. Except for on her days of heat when she vanished into the forest.

"Do you really think anyone would hurt you when there are eleven people who care about you with you, not to mention two very protective foxes?" He murmured quietly to her, so that only she could hear. Kusachi head butted her gently and her fingers fell to bury themselves in Kusachi's fur. "We won't let anything happen to you." Shikamaru murmured to her, resting his head on hers. "Trust us." His grip around her tightened slightly. "Trust me." He whispered quietly in English as the others couldn't speak the language. She relaxed at that. She did trust him. She would jump off a cliff for him; swim the ends of the earth. He was her partner. He tapped on her back, using Morse code, which he'd picked up surprisingly well, as he had with learning to speak English.

_I'll treat you to Ramen to make up for asking you something that brings you pain._ He tapped using Morse code. Her hand, on his arm, shifted so that she could tap in response.

_No don't worry. This is something I need to do. A pain I need to face._ Her arms slipped around his arm again and she stood straight before nodding, her face determined, even if her eyes couldn't be seen. The others, who had been watching quietly knowing that if they wanted her to go with them they had to let Shikamaru talk to her, opened the door to the street for her, watching as she flinched at the sounds and smells that assaulted her senses, but she didn't falter. She stepped out into the street, holding onto Shikamaru for dear life, before she got the shock of her life. A couple came up to her and hugged her before pulling back and bowing even though she couldn't see them. This wouldn't have mattered as she had turned into a statue next to Shikamaru.

"Happy birthday Naruto!" The couple told her. She smiled when Shikamaru nudged her gently.

"Arigato." She replied quietly, a small, happy smile flitting across her face.

"What's with the blindfold?" The female of the couple asked. Naruto patted Shikamaru's arm before reaching behind her and pointing at her other friends.

"They've got a surprise for me." She told the couple.

"Ah, well we hope it's a good surprise and that you have a wonderful time!" They told her before leaving. Her friends all chuckled when Naruto stepped away from Shikamaru and pinched herself on the arm repeatedly.

"I must be dreaming." She muttered. "I'm going to pinch myself and wake up and this will all have been a dream." Shikamaru laughed and swung her up into his arms bridal style. She yelped at the sudden movement, a very animalistic sound that had the others laughing. She could feel Shikamaru's laughter in his chest as she heard it.

"Gomen Naruto you're not dreaming." He told her. She squirmed and tried to get out of his arms.

"Put me down!" She demanded, hitting him lightly and gently.

"Nope. Sorry, can't do that. We have to get to your surprise quickly, which means carrying you and as always I've been the one designated to carry you." They were about to take off when a voice called out to them.

"Neh Shika is that a woman in your arms? Is it Naruto? Are you getting laid this time?! How you can have lived with such a beauty for this many months and not bedded her is beyond me. Are you sure you're not gay?" Shikamaru groaned. His father had the worst timing. Naruto chuckled.

"Why Shikaku are you going to write up another marriage proposal?" She teased the older man. He grinned at her even though she couldn't see it.

"Maybe I will. And this time I'll even get his Kaasan to help me with it." She nodded.

"That's a good idea." She told him as Shikamaru flicked her forehead and started jogging towards wherever he was taking her. She leaned over his shoulder so that she could call out to his father.

"And don't forget to add that pony to the proposal! I'm saying no if it's not included!" The others chuckled.

"Wish my partner would have said yes with only a pony as a condition." Neji said with a grin.

"Shikamaru you know he's going to write that proposal don't you?" Chouji asked his friend, who nodded.

"Yep. If I'm lucky I'll find it in the mail before she does." Shikamaru said. Naruto shook her head.

"You're out of luck. All marriage proposals that are written up go to a secret location, a location that I am not telling you about." She told him, grinning. He looked down at her with amusement.

"You sound as if you _want_ my Otousan to write you up a marriage proposal between the two of us." Naruto shrugged.

"Where else am I going to get a pony?" She teased lightly. "The proposals to marry you from your father over the years have only ever been the proposals I've received that have included a pony." Shikamaru stopped dead, his face blank. The others stopped and turned back to him.

"Did you just say the 'proposal_s_ that you've received over the _years_'? As in you've received more than just one?" He asked, horror crossing his face at his father's underhandness. Naruto crossed her arms over her chest with a sly grin.

"There _might_ be a stack of papers from the Nara clan located somewhere." She told him. "Then again, it might have been that other clan I'm thinking of." She said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her fingers.

"_Other_ clan?" The young man demanded hotly. Naruto grinned wickedly.

"Why Shikamaru you're not jealous are you?" She laughed when he sputtered his denial, reaching up a hand and touching his cheek, which was warm with heat from his blushing. "Aha! Ino you owe me $50! I _told_ you I could make him blush on _my_ birthday!" Naruto laughed quietly as her hand slid gently down from his cheek to land gently at her side against his chest. Ino muttered angrily. The others all had amused smirks on their faces. Naruto her hand resting against Shikamaru's chest, moved gently as she hit him gently in a pattern. His blush came flooding back while he cleared his throat before he kept moving to the secret location they were taking her. She chuckled lightly feeling his heartbeat speed up. She was glad for the first time that both her father and Kyuubi were in what they called 'hibernation'. They weren't aware of anything going on. It meant that she was free to have slightly shocking thoughts about the young man carrying her in private. She had found recently, that she was prone to blushing or having her heartbeat jump erratically if they accidentally touched or if their gazes met. Soon enough, they reached their destination and Shikamaru put her down, his hands gripping her upper arms lightly as he stood behind her.

"You ready?" He asked her. She could tell using her hearing and nose that the others were standing beside him behind her, ranging out in a line. His hands moved up and removed the blindfold before slipping back down to her arms as goose bumps rose on her skin and she shivered slightly. She blinked and opened her eyes just as the fireworks started. She gasped, her eyes glued on the spectacle that she'd only ever been able to watch from her room, but she was now watching from the top of the Yondaime's head on the Hokage monument.

"Happy birthday Naruto!" The cry went up around the entire village and from behind her, where all of her precious people stood smiling at her when she glanced back at them. She smiled and looked back up at the fireworks, her blue eyes glowing as the lights from the fireworks shone on her face. Happiness radiated from her as a tear slipped from her eye, sliding gently down her cheek. Shikamaru brushed it away gently. A large firework exploded, the words 'happy birthday Naruto' written in the sky in the fire lights. She burst in to tears at that, happy tears as she laughed and laughed and laughed. Shikamaru hugged her from behind and soon the others joined in on the hug, as it became one big group hug for all of the Konoha 12. She had been reduced to sniffles by the time they all split from the hug. Shikamaru's grip on her tightened as she turned and buried her face against his chest in embarrassment when they all began singing happy birthday. She rubbed her face against his shirt and leant back slightly a handkerchief in his hand. She let him clean her face, laughing still. She didn't argue when he told her to blow her nose, simply doing as he said. He pocketed the used handkerchief after folding it a few times. She rubbed at her nose as fresh tears trickled down her face.

"Agh I hate crying." She told them all, wiping vigorously at her eyes. He caught her wrists and pulled her hands away from her eyes.

"Don't rub your eyes it's not good for you." He scolded her lightly. She stuck her tongue out at him, her eyes twinkling before noticing the tables full of food behind him.

"Food!" She cried, slipping from his hold as she raced to the tables. There were more fireworks throughout the night as they all sat, talking and laughing. Everyone she knew and considered a friend was there. Jiraiya and Tsunade, Hiruzen, Aomi and Konohamaru. All of the Konoha 12's senseis. Kotetsu, Izumo, Genma, Hayate, Sai, Shizune, Miya, Anko, Ibiki. The sand siblings were all there, grinning at her. Some of her friends that she had made travelling had come for the occasion. She told everyone off when a pile of presents was placed in front of her, scolding them all with a delighted grin on her face that made the scolding worthwhile. She got more birthday presents that year than any other year. Her Otousan and Kyuubi had woken up for the occasion, both congratulating her on her birthday and showering her with love before the hibernation pulled them back under. She'd burst into tears when that had happened. It rained just as the celebration was ending, something that had made Naruto laugh, and everyone had watched with a smile as she spun happily, dancing without her shoes on, on top of her father's stone head, her hair spinning around her, the rain drenching her as she laughed and laughed some more. She started singing while she spun, a song she'd learnt as a little girl.

"This is what I brought you this you can keep,  
This is what I brought you may forget me.  
I promise to depart just promise one thing,  
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

This is what I brought you this you can keep,  
This is what I brought you may forget me.  
I promise you my heart just promise to sing,  
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

This is what I thought,  
I thought you need me,  
This is what I thought so think me naïve,  
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,  
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep."

They all listened to the song quietly, knowing that it had touched her heart and resonated against something within her. She'd always wanted to be loved and needed. Shikamaru watched her, his eyes filled with a softness, that Ino, and the others when she'd nudged them and nodded at him, had never seen before. He was remembering her smiling face that day when they were eight and he'd decided to work out her secret, her smile when she'd shown them all she was a girl, her smile when she'd seen him when she'd arrived home. Eventually she collapsed down onto the stone, laughing still. He swung her up into his arms. All of her presents had been sealed into a scroll that she now clutched in her hand. They said good night to everyone, and the others watched as he used the rooftops to carry his woman home, her foxes following them easily.

"Do you think they'll ever admit their feelings for each other?" Ino wondered out loud. The others nodded.

"They will. It's not in either of their natures to keep things from each other."

When they got to his house, she was shivering violently. He turned on the heating as he carried her into his bathroom throwing towels over the two foxes and rubbing them down vigorously while she sat on the edge of the bath tub. He grabbed another towel and rubbed her down before holding it out and closing his eyes.

"Get your wet things off." He told her, his eyes firmly shut. She did so and stepped into the towel, wrapping it around her body. He opened his eyes and helped her tuck the towel in before she held his towel and closed her eyes. He took the towel from her and wrapped it around his waist, before scooping her up and carrying her into his bedroom, where he had a fireplace. He lit a fire, and left her shivering on his bed while he went to her room while Kusachi and Rukia curled up in front of the fireplace. He brought her in some clean pyjamas and under things. She thanked him, but was shivering so badly that she couldn't dress.

"Shika. Can you help please?" She asked him quietly, her teeth chattering violently. He met her gaze for a moment. He nodded and told her to wait for a minute while he grabbed his fresh things. She snorted just as he was going to go into the bathroom.

"What?" He asked her.

"You can dress in here you know. I won't look. And even if I do, I'm too cold to jump you." She grinned slightly at him before shivering again and clutching the towel. He sighed and got into his boxers, feeling her gaze slide over him. When he turned, he found that she was watching him unashamedly. Her gaze swept over him slowly. She'd always known he was well toned, fit and muscular, having seen him without a shirt, but seeing his muscled thighs as he dried and pulled on boxers had been a treat. Her gaze moved over his muscled chest, his handful of light scars before going over his face and meeting his gaze. He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"See something you like?" He drawled quietly. She winked at him even as she shivered. He dropped his towel next to her on the bed as she pushed herself lightly to her feet, shivering so hard she almost fell over. He tried not to be _too_ lecherous as he helped her dress, although he didn't even try to stop himself from looking her over. Fair was fair after all. He'd seen her in bathers anyway, so all that was truly a new sight for him was her unclothed breasts and her clean shaven privates. He held out her underwear by her feet, letting her use him as a leaning post while she put one foot through the holes at a time before sliding them up her legs and over her bum. He picked up her shirt and shook his head. It was big enough to cover her, but definitely not warm enough. He snorted and left her shivering where she was while he went to his chest of drawers and pulled out one of his shirts. He slipped it on over her head and helped her get her arms through the arm holes before pulling it down over her breasts and stomach. On him it was a normal fitting shirt. On her it came to her knees. Once that was done, he used the towels to dry both his hair and hers, sitting on the bed with her between his knees, her back to him as he towelled her hair dry. She was still shivering when he came back from the bathroom again. He scooped her up and deposited her in his bed.

"I do have my own bed you know." She told him although she made no indication that she'd like to leave the bed. He shook his head at her.

"Yes but my room has the fireplace, and an extra body that's full of body heat." He told her. "You're less likely to catch a cold if you sleep here with me. Unless you have a problem with sharing the bed with me?" He asked her, frowning slightly. She yawned as her shivers faded slightly.

"Don't be silly. I don't have a problem sharing a bed with you. We did it quite often as kids." She reminded him. He snorted.

"Sure when you were pretending to be a boy and you weren't such an articulate woman and neither of us were hormonally charged." He reminded her dryly. She chuckled, a deep throaty sound that went straight to said hormonally charged male's groin.

"Well then I promise not to rape you in my sleep if you promise not to rape me in yours." She teased him. He nodded.

"Deal." He went to the kitchen and brought her a glass of water, as after several months of living with her, he was aware of her habit of taking a glass of water to bed. He turned off the lights in the house and returned to his room, shutting the door behind him as he did so. She was still shivering slightly when he slipped under the blankets on his side of the bed. Her shivering continued. He yawned and slid closer to her, slipping an arm under her and tugging her close to his body, waiting to see if she would tell him to let go.

"What are you doing?" She murmured. "Although I don't mind whatever it is. You're nice and warm.'

"I can't sleep with you shivering like that. Kami you're cold." He said, a faint shudder going through him at how cold she was. "I think the fire in the hearth's going out." He added as he yawned again. She waved her hand and the fire's crackle grew louder as warmth swept the room. A blue glow lit the room up before she waved her hand again and the glow turned an orange red shade.

"You can change the colour?" He murmured questioningly. "It doesn't just have to be blue?" She shook her head as she shivered and, realising how much warmer than her he was, she rolled in his arms, burying her face and hands against his chest as she snuggled against him. "You're cold." He informed her wryly as he shuddered again. "Very cold."

"Gomen." She whispered against his skin, her breath causing goose bumps to rise across his skin. "Yes I can change the colour. Usually I leave it blue because it's a sign that my fire is different. But it can be any colour I want it. And why am I so cold when you're so warm?" She mumbled, her lips brushing his skin as she talked, her eyelashes fluttering against his skin.

"I think that's cool that you can do that with fire. As for why you're cold and I'm warm, maybe it has something to do with the fact that there is a very beautiful woman in my bed, who is snuggled against me and keeps breathing on my chest, while every time she talks, her lips brush my skin, and when she blinks, her eyelashes tickle my skin." He replied, his voice a deep rumble in his chest. She yawned and snuggled closer.

"I'd apologise, but you're too warm for that, and if my being here has something to do with that than I'm not going to stop. You might stop being so warm." He rolled his eyes.

"Troublesome woman." He murmured, burying his face in her hair as she chuckled at him. There were two large thumps on the bed and Kusachi and Rukia settled at the foot of the bed, their warmth seeping from the where they lay, warming both his and Naruto's toes, which were pressed to him. He could feel her against his skin, her heart beating just below his rib cage. Her hips were pressed against his legs just below his crotch. He moved his arm out from under her, shifting her so that her shoulder was resting in his armpit while her head was on his shoulder. His arm was resting in the curve of her neck, shoulder and chin, and was slightly curled to cup her head lightly, his fingers tangled in her long blonde hair as his hand rested on her head. He grabbed the blanket with his left hand and pulled it over them, his left arm then sliding under the blanket and over her around her waist, hugging her to him tightly. She shifted slightly in his arms, getting comfortable, before settling with a contented sigh. One of her hands moved, resting on top of his left arm, her fingers splayed across his arm gently as she traced gentle patterns across his skin as she slowly fell asleep, while the other arm was resting under her breast on the bed, cupping her cheek as she rested her face against his chest, breathing on him slightly with her forehead pressed against him. She tapped his arm with her fingertips gently before she resumed drawing the patterns lightly, with a ghostly touch, across his skin. He was almost asleep when he was roused slightly by the tap of her fingers.

_Goodnight Shika._ He kissed the top of her head gently before resting his cheek in her hair while his fingers on his left hand, resting on the back of her left hip around her waist, tapped gently in response before settling.

_Goodnight Naru._ He couldn't help but compare the woman who was almost asleep in his arms to Temari. He'd been comparing the two women since the moment Naruto had come home. She was everything Temari hadn't been. She didn't argue, simply compromised. She didn't try and change him, liking him as he was. She didn't demand things of him; in fact she went out of her way to avoid asking too many things of him. There was also the fact that Temari had only ever cuddled during sex. After the sex, when they'd been going to sleep, Temari would sleep with her back to him on her side of the bed, and he'd be left on his side. Now he was lazy and slightly apathetic, but even he loved the connection that physical closeness through simple cuddling had. Hell, Naruto hadn't even had sex with him and she was cuddled comfortably up against him, her fingers still gently tracing patterns on his arm. She was gentle and feminine in ways that Temari hadn't been and he realised that he liked that about her. Her gentleness and femininity mixed well with her loud, tomboyish ways. He pushed thoughts of Temari and any comparing he was doing between her and Naruto out his mind and refused to think about it as Naruto's breathing deepened out and her shivering stopped. His eyes slid closed, as he was lulled to sleep by the warmth he felt, her steady, gentle, deep and even breathing, the gentle repetitive patterns she was tracing on his skin and the steady beat of her heart.

(Author's Note: Wretched Yuri: Well there you have it, that was chapter fourteen. Just so you know, the song that Naruto sings isn't one I own. That is Prelude 12/21 by AFI, I have no ownership over it, I was simply borrowing it for the purpose of this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I apologise for how long it's taken me to update! Chapter fifteen isn't far away though! Until then, enjoy!)


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